True Heroes Don't Come Home
by veryspecialagentriley
Summary: What if someone else volunteered to take Peeta's place? What if that person was an orphan that would've been free from the Games, had he not decided to step in? Either way, Axel had volunteered and is now going after being marked as an 'monster' by District 12. But will he and Katniss be able to work together in the arena to survive its horrors? Warning: Canon-divergence, DARK-OC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Time Period: Seventy-fourth Hunger Games Drawing Ceremony**

**Axel POV**

"Axel…the ceremony is about to start. We need to get moving." A voice called from downstairs.

"I'll be down a minute. Just have to get my shoes on." I called back as I finished putting on my running shoes. I looked over myself in the mirror. My black hair was short enough that I didn't need to comb it in any direction. I was wearing a solid gray color shirt and some white cargo shorts. Mom always told me that the contrast of those colors really made my eyes stand out.

That made sense considering my eyes were a solid gold color.

The doctors in my district told me it was just a genetic defect. Nothing they could do to change it, and not even the doctors from the Capitol could do anything about it either. But I knew that my days of having friends at school ended on the start of my first day. Nobody would go near me, much less talk to me. All they saw was something that had been written in our history books.

A monster.

I was left alone from the first day of school. And I knew that it would be my life from that day forward. My mother was the only one that didn't see me as everyone else did. Then again, she's my mother, so she must. But she told me that my eyes don't define who I am, my actions do.

I smiled to myself as I remembered the time that she was still alive. She was my ray of sunshine. But she didn't last long enough to see me do anything great. She died on my twelfth birthday… almost five years ago. A virus had gone around, and most of the district caught it. But since everyone in District 12 was mostly poor, none of us could afford the vaccine. So, the only ones that survived, were those that outlasted the contagion as their immune system defended their bodies from it.

After mom had died, I was brought into a foster care home. There I had two younger brothers and one younger sister. I could tell that my yellow eyes scared them, but they tried their best not to show it. And I really appreciate that. They were the only ones that would talk to me.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts as I thundered out the door. I smiled widely when I saw that everyone was waiting for me. Usually, I was the one waiting for everyone else. "I'm here, we can go now." I said before anyone could complain as to why I took so long.

"Come on you two." I said as I pulled my younger brothers aside and led them to where they were going to stand. They were young enough that they weren't in any danger to be drawn. I was the only one being in any kind of potential harm.

The ceremony began as it usually does, with a video describing the war that took place. As punishment for a past rebellion, each of the 12 districts of Panem are forced by the Capitol to select two tributes, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18, to fight to the death in the annual Hunger Games.

Then they announced the girl's tribute's name. Primrose Everdeen.

There was instant yelling as I glanced around. Primrose was only a skinny twelve-year-old girl…who had no chance of making it past the first day. I faced the center as I heard her older sister, Katniss, pull her younger sister behind her. "I volunteer as tribute!"

Everyone looked at each other in surprise. No one had volunteered to go to the Hunger Games in over forty years. But I expected her to protect her sister as such.

Katniss was pulled to the stage by an over-energetic announcer with pink hair and a pale face. "I bet that was your sister. Couldn't let her get all the glory and fame huh?" The woman cracked a joke, but no one was laughing.

I could swear that at one point of looking around, her eyes met my gaze. She looked away instantly and I felt a slight bit of anger at that. We weren't friends, but I held an amount of respect towards her.

"Now for the boy's tribute…Peeta Mellark!"

This time there was no shouting or yelling from people around us. But when I looked around again, I met the gaze of his father. He looked back at me with tears running down his face. The man looked after me when he could before I was brought into the foster home.

I knew what I had to do. So I stepped out of my line and into the center of the group's outlines. I raised my hand and called out. "I volunteer as tribute!"

I heard the gasps around me as well as the yelling from my younger foster-brothers as they rushed towards me. I pulled them into my arms and hugged them tightly once before setting them back down on the ground. I was grateful that the boys next to me understood that I needed for my brothers to be restrained. They instantly held my foster siblings back.

"Oh, your eyes are amazing. You look like someone who's ready to fight." She commented.

I smiled back at her and looked straight into the camera. "Damn right I am." Then I faced the crowd as they were silent at my bold statement.

When it was time for Katniss and me to shake hands, Katniss hesitated and then didn't shake my hand all together. She walked right past me and made her way off the stage. I stood there with my hand still out. I clenched my jaw and lowered my hand. I looked at the announcer and shook my head in disgust. "Typical." I commented as I made my way off the stage as well.

* * *

Katniss and I were led to separate rooms so family could say their good-byes. First up was my foster family. They were all in tears and crying as they saw me.

"Axel…why did you volunteer?" Our mother asked as I pulled her into a tight hug.

I didn't answer as I made all of them look at me. "Winter is coming…you cannot stay in grief while I am away in the games." I then turned to my brothers and started to whisper softly. "I have bit of money, enough for you all to have food on the table once a day for the next couple of months. Spend it wisely. You two are the men of the house until I get back. Understand?" I asked sternly.

At their nod, I kissed their foreheads and faced my foster mother. "I will be back. I swear upon the stars that I will come back as the victor." I promised before kissing her forehead as well.

Then the doors opened for Peacekeepers to remove them. Then two people came into the room. Peeta Mellark and his father. "Why did you volunteer to take my place? You don't owe me anything?" Peeta asked confused.

"Actually, I owe your father. When my mother died from the virus years ago, your father helped me out when he could before I was placed into foster care. I told him that I would pay him back when I got the chance. And this is it. And when I come back, don't think you owe me anything. My debt to your father has been paid, and you don't need to start one with me." I explained to him without emotion as I looked him square in the eye.

"I will look after your family in your absence." Peeta's father said firmly as the guards came in to take them out.

I didn't anticipate anyone else to be brought in. But sure enough, someone was. It was Gale, Katniss's friend. Everyone assumed that they were dating, even though they brushed it off always.

"What brings you here Gale?" I asked with a questioning smirk.

"Look out for Katniss for me." He replied sternly.

"I hope you got to say good-bye to her when you did, because she isn't coming back. And if she does, it will be in a body bag." I remarked snidely.

Gale threw a punch at me that I caught in a hand and twisted his to the point where I was almost breaking his bones. "You really think you are in a position to make a demand of me after what your girl just did out there?" I snarled out as I released his hand when the guards came into the room and escorted us through different doors.

I was instantly guided to the train beside Haymitch, our past-victor, now-mentor. Even though he was drunk, he seemed quite unsettled by my eyes. "So what skills do you two hold? Or do you hold any at all?" Haymitch asked at dinnertime. We were eating a chicken roast that smelled divine. With cream corn and green beans.

"She can shoot a bow really good." I pointed out as I gestured to Katniss.

"What are you doing?" She hissed at me angrily.

"Our mentor asked what we are good at. He's been through the games, Katniss. And he won't know how to help us unless we give him the download on what we're good at." I explained, narrowing my eyes at her. I am seriously getting tired of her constant animosity towards me.

I faced Haymitch. "I'm good with knives, whether that be throwing them, or striking them like a blade. I'm also good at sneaking around."

"Yeah right." Katniss commented.

"Oh yeah…you remember when I was gone for a week at school two years ago when everyone was sick, and then showed up perfectly fine, right?" I asked confidently.

"Yeah…so?"

"I sneaked aboard a train heading for District 2 and had stolen a bunch of vaccines that they had made for the virus going around at the time. But after overhearing some scientists, I destroyed the lab they were working in." I informed her.

"That was you?!" Our chaperone Effie gasped.

"Yes. Those scientists were man-making viruses to send out to the districts in order to level out our population to prevent the chance of another rebellion." I informed them a little quieter now.

"That isn't what I expected, but it seems to have served you well. We will be getting to the Capitol, tomorrow morning. The rest of the day will be spent informing you of rules and regulations as a tribute. Tomorrow, you will meet your stylist team and get prepared for the tribute parade." Haymitch informed us.

"Sounds good. Our district's product is coal. So, we might just get burned." I laughed at my joke, earning a chuckle from Haymitch. Effie giggled at little before stopping with a blush.

Katniss however stayed stony silent, ruining the good mood. I turned to her with a look of annoyance. "Settle down will you. Have some fun before you die in the games." I advised.

"What do you mean when you say that I will die?" Katniss challenged, getting into my face.

I looked back at her and smiled widely as I placed a knife right under her chin against her throat. Katniss stopped moving all together as I leaned closer to her. "Because you don't have what it takes to survive the Games. You don't have the guts to kill someone and walk away without feeling any emotion whatsoever. You should enjoy your life while you still hold it freely." I advised as I whispered in her ear.

Haymitch pulled me back from her and I dropped my knife to the floor. "I'll be in my room if you need me." I called over my shoulder as I walked back to my room.

* * *

_Riiippp_

I held in a groan of pain as the stylist team was removing my entire body of hair.

"You haven't made one sound yet. Thank god. Last year we had a real screamer to deal with, he screamed so much we had to duct tape his mouth shut, just so we could work in peace. What was your name again?" One of them asked.

"Axel Night." I replied as they continued to look over my nude body to check for any body hair they might've missed the first time.

"Well we appreciate your silence while we work to make you look presentable Axel."

"Alright that's enough, I need the room, so I can get a look at him." A new voice spoke, making me turn my head to the newcomer. The others quickly left the room.

"You must be my tribute." She stated, and I nodded in return. "My name is Portia."

"Are you a new stylist, because I haven't seen you before this year?" I asked curiously.

"Yes I am. At first, I was a little annoyed, but when I saw you both volunteer as tribute, I knew that I was with the right tributes. You both look like warriors. Or at least, your eyes give you away as a competitor." Portia answered me as she looked around my nude body.

"What is my outfit going to be?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Are you afraid of fire?" She asked me.

I looked her dead in the eye and leaned in close. "What do you think?" I challenged before I captured her lips harshly in a kiss. I placed a hand behind her head and pulled her closer as I bit at her lips. But I stepped away right as the door behind me opened, revealing Katniss and her stylist. Katniss covered in a robe, and her stylist in his normal clothes.

Portia was blushing madly and not facing them, trying to recover from my bold action. I looked over to them and tilted my head in question. "You must be Katniss's stylist."

He nodded his head. "Yes I am. Is Portia okay?" He asked a little worried.

"She's fine." I said before glancing at Katniss who seemed bothered at my naked self. She was blushing madly, so I guess she saw my dick. I smiled and spoke "so I'm guessing that you've never seen a dick before, huh Katniss?" I teased her as I smirked at her blush.

"Never one that big." Cinna muttered.

I reached behind me and pulled a robe across my body, just like how Katniss had done. When I fastened it around my body, Portia had recovered and faced us with a warm smile. "Why don't we all sit down and have something to eat and go over the outfits?" Portia suggested as she walked ahead of us towards the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Axel POV**

"I feel ridiculous." Katniss muttered as we climbed into the chariot for us. We were both in a sleek stark-black unitard with black capes. Nothing special. But our stylists were behind us with artificial torches. They had already explained the purpose of the fire we were being gifted with. It won't harm us, as it's just for effects.

I looked over at my partner and smiled. "That's because you look ridiculous." I jabbed at her with a teasing grin.

She looked at me angrily and hit my arm as retaliation.

"You hit like a girl."

Before Katniss can do anything more, both Cinna and Portia walk up and tell us that it is time for us to show everyone what we are made of. They move the torches close to our capes and light them on fire as our chariot flies down the path.

* * *

"That was amazing you two!" Effie cried out as she and Haymitch helped us off of the chariot. Portia came up to me and gave me a hug. "Your eyes stood out when a camera zoomed in on you. It already has a lot of people getting yellow-colored contact lenses as a fashion trend. The other tributes also seemed taken back by it as well." Portia warned me.

"Good." I responded back when we separated.

As I looked around, I caught the gaze of the District 2 tributes. They looked at me with slight fear but covered it well. I smiled back at them and nodded in respect. They nodded back and turned around to face their own stylists.

"Axel." Effie said, making me face her and everyone else's looks of worry and rejection. "You should not be allying with them. As soon as you turn your back on them, they will kill you."

"You have no faith in me. Just as no one ever seems to. I feel like I'm back at home." I huffed as I walked to the elevator by myself and sighed deeply as I made my way back to my room.

When I got back to my district's apartment for the games, I walked to the balcony outside. I leaned against the railing and gazed at the sinking sun before shifting my gaze to the stars. "You were the only one that believed in me. You believed that I could do great things and that I was more than what people made me out to be. I'm doing this for you mom. I miss you so much." I whispered into the open sky.

"Axel…" Portia's voice called out as she stepped outside. I turned around to face her as she leaned against the railing next to me. "Effie is just worried." Portia reminded me.

"I know, but she said it with such conviction. Like she knew I wouldn't stand a chance against either one of them." I responded with a huff. "They all looked at me like that…like I stand no chance to survive…even you." I remarked snidely.

"Axel…I have faith in you. But you must play your cards right when you get in the arena. You have the spirit of a warrior ready for battle. Now all you have to do is survive the war." Portia advised as she left me to think about her words by myself.

I woke up to do my morning routine of stretches and warming up for physical activities. My morning routine is seventy push-ups, seventy sit-ups, and thirty-five pull-ups from my doorway. I have been doing that workout for the past two years to get into good shape.

And it's paid off. I have a defined six pack adorning my chest.

A knock on my door made me halt slightly in my routine. "Come in." I called out as I continued to do my pull-ups in my bathroom doorway. It was Katniss. She blushed as she saw that I was shirt-less. She turned away from me and spoke. "Time for breakfast. Then afterwards, we have been given directions to stay near one another."

I jumped down from my handhold on the door frame and faced her. "Okay then." I replied as I pulled on an athletic shirt that was tight around my chest, outlining my eight pack.

When we got to the hall, I turned to Katniss with a questioning look on my face. "You know, it's strange that you get so shy and flustered every time you see me shirtless. Makes me think that you've never seen Gale that way before. Which is weird, because word around 12 is that you two were dating and are quite familiar with each other."

She looked at me with annoyance but didn't say anything in return.

But by that time, we had made our way to the kitchen, where our stylists and Haymitch was sitting, and eating breakfast. They perked up when we entered the room and greeted us with warm smiles, even Haymitch. "I take it that Katniss filled you in on my directions, Axel?"

"Yes, she did." I answered.

"And you don't have a problem with that?" Haymitch asked, curiously.

"I do, but I'm willing to overlook it for the better of my future in the area." I responded as I grabbed a plate of fruit and sat down next to Portia.

"You should eat more than that Axel. You have a big day of training ahead of you." Cinna advised. But I smiled back at him knowingly.

"I've been working out my entire life, and I know that if I eat more than this serving, I will throw up and be miserable during training today. I appreciate your concern, but it isn't necessary." I told him patiently. I looked over and winked at Portia, causing her to slightly blush. I grinned back at her and went back to eating my breakfast, listening to everyone's conversations.

"What is it with you and Portia?" Katniss asked me as we made our way to the training area.

"Why do you ask that? Are you jealous?" I teased her, jabbing her in the ribs playfully.

"It's against the rules. She's at least eight years older than you, and she's your stylist. That's all kinds of wrong." Katniss hissed at me sternly.

"We haven't done anything Katniss. Plus, it's fun because its forbidden fruit. And that's the best type of fruit to chase. Let me have my fun… back home, no one even looks at me." I replied as we walked into the room, containing the others, causing some of them to look up at us.

Some gasped as they saw my eye color and realized that it was my actual eye color. The only ones that didn't seem scared were the Careers. The tributes from district 1, 2 and 4. They looked at me with caution but also with an emotion that I had rarely seen before…acceptance.

We all remained silent when the head trainer was explaining the rules and instructions for us while we were training.

Katniss wanted to check over the edible plants and fire-making section, so that's where we went first. We both completed the test effortlessly and moved onto the trapping and snaring section of hunting for food.

I surprised everyone when I went over to the artwork station. And after ten minutes, I had painted my right arm to perfectly blend in with a model tree that was in the arena. I looked up to see Katniss already at the spear throwing station. But I heard footsteps behind me. "What is it you need, District 2?" I asked without looking.

"How did you know it was me?" The male tribute asked.

"You would be the only one willing to ally with me in the arena. The rest fear me because of my eyes, including my district partner." I replied as I turned around to face him.

"Then you already know why I am here." He stated.

"I do." I replied.

"We could use someone like you. And when it gets down to just us remaining. We all split up and fight for ourselves." The boy informed evenly.

"What is your name? I didn't catch it during the parade." I asked.

"Cato. What's yours?" Cato asked as he held out a hand for me to shake.

"Axel." I replied as I shook his in return. Everyone around us stopped what they were doing when they saw us shaking hands.

* * *

"So, Katniss told me that you joined with the Careers?" Haymitch brought up during dinner, causing all noise to silence quickly.

"That's quite possible." I answered back.

"Even though I told you two to stay together." Haymitch repeated in a louder tone.

"Katniss was the one who disobeyed your command by the way. She was over at the spear throwing station after leaving me with the trapping station.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is. What matters is that you joined up with them!" Katniss yelled at me furiously.

Cinna pulled her back into her seat, but I smiled back at her. "Cinna let her get up…let her get angry. She's going to need it in the arena if she wants to survive past day one. Besides, do you really think I joined up with them?" I asked, smirking from my seat.

"You shook hands with them and told them your name." Katniss pointed out.

"True…but did I swear my loyalty to them? No, I didn't. Game recognizes game. The only person I have an idea of allying with is Thresh from District 11." I explained.

"You wouldn't ally with Katniss?" Cinna asked.

"When the games start, it is every man or woman for themselves out there. Only one can go back home. Everyone knows this when they go in. I won't let myself get distracted by worrying about someone that never gave a fuck about me from home. We might have both come from 12, but back home, the only people that hang around with me is my foster-care family. Other than those five, I am completely by myself." I ranted sternly as I looked everyone in the eye, one at a time.

"You have another week of training before your interviews. Continue training in all that you can. Your private session with the Game makers is what will give you an edge over the others. Use your special skills in that session." Haymitch advised, before turning to me. "Which means that you use your knife skills and camouflaging skills." Then he turned to Katniss, "and you use your bow and arrow skills."

Katniss turned towards Haymitch. "Just wondering, but what happens if a tribute and stylist are caught interacting with each other, romantically?" Katniss asked as she looked directly at me.

I smiled back at her cockily. "You asking for yourself Katniss? I'll admit that Cinna is a good-looking man. But he's not my type." I replied with a cocky smirk.

"Why are you asking this Katniss?" Effie asked confused.

"Because Axel and his stylist have shared affections since they met." Katniss spat at me.

"Wow…I didn't know that our hugs got you so riled up. You hug Cinna, but it gets strange and wrong when I hug Portia, huh?" I asked in disbelief that she would try something like that.

"Hugging is alright Katniss. As long as there are no affections past kissing on the cheek or forehead then they're good." Haymitch replied as he looked from me to Portia. But the both of us gave off the impression that we are innocent.

Haymitch looked back to Katniss. "I think you need to go to bed. You are clearly seeing things." Katniss gave him the most profound look of betrayal before glaring at me. Then she huffed and walked angrily back to her room without saying another word.

"Well dinner was entertaining to say the least." I chuckled at Effie's joke in amusement.

"Yes, it was." I replied with a small grin.

**Next Day**

I found myself sitting by myself at lunch, unsurprisingly. No one wanted to sit near me, not even the Careers as they were talking to each other in hushed tones. I sighed to myself and continued eating. "Are you sitting by yourself?" A deep voice asked behind me, causing me to turn around in my seat to see who it was.

Thresh. Just the tribute I wanted to align with.

"If you want to sit next to me you can. I could use some company." I joked as I patted the empty seat next to me.

He gave a small smile before sitting across from me. "Axel, correct?" Thresh asked, extending a hand. "Yep." I responded as I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you Thresh."

"Yesterday you were standing near the Careers, but now they left you alone. Why do you think that is?" Thresh asked smartly.

"I think that they are concerned about bringing me into their pack or whatever it is. But I don't want to be with them. The only person I want to align myself with is you." I told him seriously.

"Why with me?" Thresh asked.

"Because we are both outsiders back home. We are both quiet, but ready and able to fight when needed to. Plus, you are the only one that I would ally myself with." I explained as I took another bite out of bread.

"We just met, how can you already trust me like that?" Thresh asked, cautiously.

"Because you are honorable. You volunteered for a twelve-year-old boy that wouldn't last through the first hour. You are eighteen and would have been free of the games after that day. But you stepped up for what was the right thing to do. That's admirable, and I want to be allies with someone that is such." I replied with a serious tone.

"You're not going to turn on me for those Careers, are you?" Thresh asked, with a slight smile.

I grinned back at him. "No way in hell." And with that we shook hands.

"Allies." We both spoke at the same time smiling at each other and went back to eating.

**A/N: I didn't realize its been over a month since I started this story. Time flies**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Axel POV**

**1 week later**

**Day of Private Sessions with the Game makers**

"You ready Thresh?" I asked him as they called his name for his turn.

"Axel. I'm ready to get in the double digits." Thresh replied, running hand through my hair playfully by messing it up. Then he ran out of the room.

Katniss turned to me. "So, you have made allies out of Thresh and the Careers. What's next, you going to become friends with the others?" Katniss taunted me with an angry glare.

I remained silent and faced the wall in front of me. I focused my heart rate on staying calm and relaxed that way I wouldn't get nervous when it was my turn for scoring.

* * *

A while had passed before they called for Katniss to enter the room. Then only a couple of minutes passed before they called my name out. I strode into the room and found a sight that instantly filled me in on what happened during Katniss's session.

There was an arrow sticking through a roasted pig that someone had brought for the game makers. The glass separating the makers from the arena was broken and in pieces on the ground.

I looked back up to the Game makers and nodded once before making my way to the knife and sword collection. I quickly selected two short hunting knives and called for the knife trainer to spar with me.

That got everyone's attention to see a medium height fourteen-year-old challenge a grown man that has been the knife trainer for easily the past two decades. I took a step to my right and followed it up with a fake swipe to his left. The trainer went for it, and I took my chance by striking him across the cheek giving him a light mark. The trainer practically growled in annoyance at being fooled so easily and lunged at me with deadly precision.

The next ten minutes were spent with the both of us, crossing blades, each strike only being deflected or redirected away from each other. Then I got a lucky strike in that knocked the instructor off balance and held my blades at his throat in victory.

After helping the trainer off the ground, I turned to the targets meant for spear throwing and hurled the blades with deadly accuracy. Both blades sinking hilt deep into the center ring, both targets sitting fifty yards away.

I faced the game makers again and bowed before they signaled for me to leave. I made my way back to the room where Haymitch and the others were waiting. They were slightly worried when I didn't show up less than ten minutes after Katniss did.

"How do you think you did?" Portia asked as she pulled me into a hug.

"Double digits." I whispered in her ear.

At her sigh of relief, we separated and sat down with the others to wait for our scores. I gave a knowing look to Katniss when she kept glancing at me nervously. But I quickly pulled Portia with me as I walked out of the room towards the balcony again, "What's going on Axel?" Portia asked confused as to why I pulled her along with me.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Portia asked, this time more confused.

"For kissing you when the rules clearly state against such an action. It was immature and disrespectful to you. And I apologize for doing so." I apologized as I looked at her regretfully.

"It's okay. I should have stopped you as well the first time. But it's alright Axel. Your interview is tomorrow night. You also need to focus on the upcoming fight in the arena." Portia advised.

Then Cinna walked out and called out to us. "They are showing the scores now." We walked back inside as they got to district 11. Thresh got a 10 and Rue got a 9. Then it was time for us.

"Katniss Everdeen with a score of 12. And Axel Night with a score of…13!"

Everyone looked at me in shock as my score repeated itself in my mind repeatedly.

I picked up my head and looked at everyone before smiling widely. "Told you Portia."

"And I had complete faith." She jabbed back at me with a grin.

"Well I think that this calls for a celebration to be in order. To both scores for District 12 in double digits." Effie proposed a toast with champagne. I even got one, which was quite amusing considering I was the youngest one there at fourteen. Katniss is sixteen, and the others are over twenty-one years old.

"So we are both allying with District 11 then?" Katniss asked, as we both walked to our rooms silently after the toast was made.

"Yes, I am allying with Thresh. And you are allying with Rue. May the odds be ever in your favor." I mocked Effie's voice as we toasted to that and drank the rest of our drinks.

**Time skip**

And since both Katniss and I were underage, we got drunk a lot faster than the others; we leaned into each other for support and ended up kissing each other against a wall. But because of the alcohol in our systems, we didn't stop making out with each other until I bumped my head on the wall behind me after a couple of minutes.

I looked over to see Katniss staring at me in disbelief. I ducked my head and made my way to my room, closing the door behind me. I leaned against the door and slid down to the ground slowly. I crawled over to the shower, shedding my clothes carefully and turned on the shower.

I was just sitting in the shower, letting the warm water rain down on me. After a couple of minutes, I started to sober up and count my fingers. When I got to ten, I slowly stood up from my sitting position and turned off the water. I wrapped myself in a towel and then started to dry myself off.

When I got back into the bedroom, I sat down on my bed for a moment, just looking around the room. I shrugged and got under the covers and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

"Axel…wake up." A voice brought me out of my dreamless sleep. I shifted in my bed and looked over to where the voice was coming from. "Come on…wake up." Haymitch's voice became clearer as I looked at my door to see his head peaked around it.

"Be there in a minute." I said as I sat up and made my way over to the dresser and closet to grab some clothes. The interview wasn't until six at night. We got to sleep in to ten in the morning. We still had to be taught how to sit appropriately and be respectful and shit like that. I didn't mind, because I already knew most of this stuff.

The only problem I had was my approach when the interview starts. I was funny but could instantly switch to serious. I could play the quiet type well, but with my nontraditional discolored eyes it wouldn't work very well. We ultimately decided for me to crack jokes and smile a lot. But when the family questions came up, I would slide back into a nostalgic persona.

But my finish would be up to me, as Haymitch finalized for me. "Maybe leave them with a surprise comment or a quote to remember you by. Something of that nature, but it's up to you."

I stand in line for the interviews, my hands a bit sweaty. I do consider Katniss my…friend. No matter how insane the thought is, it's there and I can't get rid of it since we kissed. I could mask it from myself, could pretend it's not there but it is, and it influences my every action and thought.

Portia and Cinna decided that Katniss and I should be opposites in this wardrobe choice. They both know how Katniss and I butt heads a lot as they listen to our bickering and fights but we both manage to stay in each other's presence for the sake of our lives. So, they decided that Katniss would be her newfound element, fire.

Whereas, I would be water. They've given me a black suit with ocean blue cuffs and tie an ocean mist perfume…a lot of it. The smell of the salty, sea breeze wafts from me as I walk and the material in the black suit is shiny and very flexible so each time that I move or touch it, it gives it an illusion of water rippling. They've swept the hair that grazes my face to the side and made the ends curve up in an interesting natural yet artificial way.

As Rue goes up in her little fairy-like dress, Katniss looks nervous. I could see her flaming red dress with jewels at the bottom begin to shake a bit and I know that she's shaking her leg and tapping her foot under it. I'm not sure if it was my imagination or not but I think that I saw flames on the dress.

Instead, I try I calm her down by reaching over to flatten my palm over her smaller hand. She looks up at me, her eyes filled with poison until they meet mine. I'm not sure if my gaze was reassuring or deadly enough to make her eyes soften that way but either way, she softened up and relaxed. I give her a reassuring nod and her eyes wander to my chest, looking at the black in the suit, obviously drawn to the rippling that my nodding has caused, and I look down to see if my judgment was correct. Yep, there it is, the rippling.

I smile a bit. "Our stylists may be insane, but they come up with good ideas." I say.

She chuckles a bit. "I've got flames, you've got waves."

I smile but then look at her in confusion. "Flames?" She moves her legs under her dress and there they go, licking themselves up her leg until they stop. I nod in approval.

"Now for the girl on fire! District 12's very own Katniss Everdeen!" Caesar's voice calls out. Katniss stiffens a bit, looking at me for support, surprisingly. I just give her a smile and a nod, and she stands up, heading towards the stage.

**Line Break**

Now it's my time to panic. And before I know it, they call out my name.

"And District 12's male tribute, Axel Night!" Caesar's voice calls out and my heart freezes.

_How much time has passed? It's my turn already? Was it over that quickly?_

All thoughts flood out of my head as I mechanically rise to my feet, not looking at the audience. If I'm going to play aloof, I've got to be distant and a bit cold. But as I see a flash of bright colors and heavily make-upped people, I suddenly remember where I am, why I'm here. I could feel my mood automatically darken and I shun them partially, but not enough to make it look like I absolutely despise them, even though I don't.

I sit down next to Caesar, trying to look anywhere but him. I look at the screen behind us, at the reflection of lights on the floor, the rippling of my suit but I could only distract myself for so long until the questions begin.

"Well, you're looking a bit broody today, Axel. How's our District 12 male tribute doing this afternoon?" Caesar asks, tilting his head at me in a curious manner.

I look at him and shrug. "I'm fine, I guess." I say.

Caesar looks at me curiously. "Well, I heard that they have quite a view of the city. Is that true?"

I remember the twinkling lights and thinking about their similarity to the fireflies in a meadow after dark. I nod, looking back at him with a shrug. "Yes. Even I must admit that you guys have a pretty good city, but I prefer to lock myself up in my room."

Caesar makes a fake pout. "Oh, well someone seems like they're a bit of a Negative-Nelly."

The crowd laughs and I can't help but smile. Caesar sure does know how to save a guy from dying under thousands of scrutinizing eyes.

"So, Percy, what do you like most about the Capitol so far?" Caesar asks, changing the subject.

I shrug, looking in space in thought. "Well, I'll tell you what my least favorite thing is. The showers. I swear, that thing is out to get me." I say seriously. "It assaulted me this morning with the bipolar temperatures and infused a coconut scent into my skin cells."

The crowd laughs. Caesar laughs heartedly as well. "And what other problems have happened to you?" he asks after his laughing fits are done.

"Well, other than the sudden temperature spikes and coconut smell pelted on me, I'm doing peachy." I say in the best monotone voice.

The crowd bursts into new fits of laughter.

"I couldn't help but notice that you look like you belong in a classy beach gala," the crowd laughs at this, "but Katniss Everdeen is all fire and flames. What's up with the opposites?"

I sigh, scratching the space behind my ear. "Well, I must admit that when we're not in flames on a golden chariot… Katniss and I actually make a lot of banter."

The crowd and Caesar laugh at my confession. "I see that you two are like fire and water, is that what you mean?" he asks.

I nod. "Yep but…we're still, in a way, a team. I'm not sure about her, but I actually consider us to be friends."

"Oh, so you two are a team. Since Katniss has flames, what do you have? Is your outfit also magically modified, like hers?"

I raise my brows and stood up smiling. "Oh, yeah, actually, it does. I'm not sure if you noticed but, Cinna and Portia, actually did this to my suit."

I press the shiny fabric, looking at Caesar's eyes widen with joy and excitement as the ripples spread from that spot to the rest of my chest. I smile, satisfied as I move around a bit more, listening to the audience's gasps of awe and wonder.

Caesar raises a brow at me. "Marvelous, just marvelous! But onto other matters…I wanted to ask you a serious question." I look at him, my brows furrowed in curiosity. "At the Reaping, when you volunteered for the Hunger Games, what exactly were you thinking?"

"I knew that I had to do something. Back in District 12, I live in a foster-care home with two younger brothers and one younger sister. But the main reason why I volunteered was because of a debt that I owed." I explained.

The crowd hushed quickly, and Caesar turned to me, concerned. "Who did you have a debt that caused you to volunteer for the games for?"

"When my mother died on my twelfth birthday, I lived on the streets for about year before getting put into a foster-care home. But during my time on the streets, there was one man that helped me when he could. Whether that was with food scraps, water or a cardboard box for shelter from the weather, I was grateful. That man is the father of the original male tribute that was drawn from District 12 this year." I explained as I looked between Caesar and the crowd as they applauded me.

Caesar and the crowd are silent for a moment. "But what about at home, do you have someone that you could turn to? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?" Caesar asked concerned as he laid a hand down on my shoulder.

I shake my head negatively. "No one wants to come near me because of my eye color. Ever since the first day of school, no one saw me as a friend." I start off before smiling again. "But now that I'm over here, my eyes seemed to have sparked a fashion trend. I can see some of the audience wearing yellow eye colored contacts. The difference is that my eye color is because of a genetic disorder." I joke as I let out a wide smile to the applause of the audience.

The buzzer rings out, signaling my interview is done and to go back to my room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Next Morning**

**Axel POV**

The hovercraft appeared out of thin air. It almost seemed to magically appear there. As soon as we see it, a ladder drops down. When I place my hands on it, my body freezes and I'm lifted. It was more than unsettling and I gave up when I was safely inside. When I'm inside, the currents still don't release me, making me stay still, like a statue.

Once I begin to question why I'm still stuck onto the ladder, a man in a lab coat approaches me, a syringe in his hand. Without even giving me a glance, he inserts the needle into the skin of my forearm. I don't even wince at the stabbing pain and the tracker moving the tissue inside to make itself comfortable while it rearranges my muscle.

Then the ladder releases me and the man in the lab coat walks away, still not sparing me a glance or a farewell of some sort. Then Portia is retrieved, and we wait, a wide array of food stretched out on a table in front of us.

But I don't eat any of it because I'm sure that I'll end up throwing it all back up.

I look out of the window as we soar across the city, the majesty of the buildings and glittering pavement and cars outshine the light of the sun itself and then we're sailing over a vast tree line.

After approximately half an hour passes, all light is cut off and I'm left in the dark, feeling twitchy and unsettled. When the jerk of the hovercraft indicated that we landed, both Portia and I stand, climbing down the ladder that leads us to a tube that takes us underground.

As I enter it, I see the new equipment in there, knowing that everything in this room is brand new. I'm the only tribute that will use this room.

My throat is dry and I'm sweating enough buckets to supply District 12 a watering system for a week, when I'm drying myself off from my shower and brushing my teeth. When I'm done, Portia holds a box that contains my clothes for the games.

As soon as my eyes fall on the jacket, I know that Portia didn't cast a vote for it. My clothes are a simple black pants that give me a lot of free movement, a muddy green button-up shirt and a black hooded jacket. As Portia slips it on over my shoulder, she begins to flick imaginary particles off it and flattens it out.

"This material was designed to reflect body heat. Expect some cool days and warm nights." She tells me as she looks up at me. I don't even look at her, too wrapped up in my own thoughts.

"You know, Axel." Portia begins, drawing my attention to her. She doesn't look at me while she flattens out the collar of my shirt underneath my jacket and soon flattens out the jacket too. I just stare down at her while she flattens out some wrinkles around the buttons of my shirt and then she looks up at me.

"I can't help but admire you. Both Katniss and you are both so strong and such fighters. It makes me ashamed to be who I am." She pauses for a moment as I listen to her confession. "But it doesn't stop me from admiring your skill. It was an honor serving as your stylist, Axel Night."

She pulls me in for a hug and I just stand there, stiff, frozen and shocked. Then I firmly wrap my arms around her, returning the hug. After a couple of seconds, Portia pulls away, wiping away a stray tear that runs down her white cheek.

After a few agonizing minutes that seem like centuries pass, a female voice announces that it's almost time for launch. Both Portia and I stand, my muscles pushing to walk but it feels like I'm walking through water. I walk slowly and weakly as we approach the platform.

"You can do it, Axel." She says, giving me an encouraging smile.

I smile back at her and nod as I stand on the circular metal plate that will lift me to the arena. I just watch as Portia gives me a nod and a tear rolls down her cheek. Then I'm in darkness.

Then I'm blinded by light and a gust of air greets me, making me take a deep breath and my heart race at the familiar smell of pine trees. I am all too familiar with pines and oaks and how to maneuver around them.

Once my eyesight adjusts, my thoughts are confirmed when we are in a grassy clearing with the Cornucopia in the center with weapons and packs at the mouth of it and surrounding us are tall Evergreens. I look at the mouth of the Cornucopia, knowing that the best of the weapons and supplies lay both there and inside of it but even I know that attempting to get in there is a suicidal attempt. About five feet from me is a blood-red pack. _How convenient._ Moving on from that, there is some wire and a meager amount of dried fruits in a plastic bag. About ten yards from that is a set of daggers on a belt meant to go along a waistline.

"Ladies and gentlemen." The famous Claudius Templesmith's voice booms from all around us. "Let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!" Then the countdown from sixty seconds begins.

I look back at the daggers. I would only have seconds before a tribute would decide that I'm his or her target. It would be too far away, and I would need to get to Thresh. We both swore to be allies in this fight.

_Fifty-four, fifty-three..._

I look across from me and see Katniss staring at something with clear intention of going after it. I follow her eyes and see what catches her eye. It's a silver bow with a matching sheath set on a mound of blankets. But I turn around to find Thresh looking at me with a sharp nod.

_Twenty-one, twenty, nineteen..._

My eyes flicker to Katniss who still stares at the bow and her eyes wander to me. She wouldn't be able to make it. I shake my head slightly at her in warning.

_Six, five, four..._

One.

Then the gong rings and I'm off, reaching the pack within seconds and lunging for the fruits. While I make a grab for the knife sling, a girl from 4 who is armed with my dagger makes a grab for it also, slicing at me but missing. She jumps to her feet and raises the dagger, clearly going to attempt to dig it into my back.

I tackle her before she has the chance. I disarm her as I sit atop of her and I raise it, prepared to slice her throat. Then a tear runs down her eye, her expression broken. She knows what I'm about to do and it's breaking her. But I don't care and slice her neck without wasting another second.

I stand, sprinting away from her unmoving body. I don't have the time. I killed about a couple of seconds with her, but the bow is still available. I smirk, looking at the simple dagger that I wield in my hand.

_Thanks for the dagger though_.

As I'm on the run again, I see the girl from 3, run hysterically at me with a spear. As I look at the spear, I see an interesting blue spark come from it and I come to the realization that it's charged with an electrical current, making sure that if the fatal spear wound didn't kill her victim, the electricity surely did. I dodge her, not looking back to see if she's after me.

A body crashes into me and we both fall to the ground. I look up, momentarily confused and see the person that I crashed into. It was that girl from 10. Her face has blood splattered across half of her face and her hair that's tied back in a ponytail, is messed up and tangled, indicating that someone obviously pulled at it, hoping to get her.

Her eyes are wide and panicked as she jumps to her feet, renewing her grasp on the machete in her hand. I jump to my feet also, standing in front of her cautiously, prepared for any attack. Her eyes switch from something behind me to me and shoves me to the side and dashing off. I look back and see her run for the back of the Cornucopia, killing off the boy from 5 that tried to approach her with a mace. I can hear some noise behind me and throw a dagger without checking to see who it is.

The male tribute from 10. My dagger resting hilt deep in his forehead as he fell backwards.

I almost stand there for a moment, dumbfounded at what just happened when I realize where I am and how likely of a chance it is that someone will come up to me and kill me off. I look over my right to see Thresh waving at me to hurry up.

I scan the area for Katniss, finding her grappling for a bright orange pack with the boy from District 9. I watch, alarmed as he begins to reach his waist band for a machete that hangs in his belt. Then I see a knife suddenly appear on the boy's back and within seconds, he's on the ground, dead. I see where the knife protrudes from his back and my trained eye tells me that it instantly killed him.

I look around and quickly find the culprit, Clove, the girl from 2. I watch as she runs for Katniss, in one hand a dozen knives and the other wielding a knife obviously aimed at Katniss.

I begin to sprint again, when I see her throw the knife. I sneak a peek at Katniss, finding that the hiked up her backpack over her head and the knife lodged itself into it, not reaching her head. I let out a sigh of relief and focus back on Clove.

I must've caught her eye because her face turns to me, her eyebrows that were once furrowed in frustration; are raised the slightest bit in amusement as she smirks, turning to throw a knife at me. It whizzes towards me and I dodge it, tackling her to the ground. She lashes out, getting me on the shoulder and pierces my bicep. I pin her hands on either side of her head and look at her face with is covered with drops of the blood.

She glares at me. "You'll never make it."

"Neither will you." I remarked as I pressed my lips into a knowing smile at her misfortune and viciously drag my dagger across her throat, listening as her gasp turns into a strangled gargle. I watch as the fierce, ruthless light in her eyes dies. I look down at my hands, her blood smeared all over them, soaking them and obviously infusing its metallic smell into my skin.

Hearing Thresh call my name, I stand; looking at the blood pooling in my hands and fist them, watching as it drips out of between my fingers. I look away, looking at Katniss and she stares at me, her eyes wide and horrified. I smile back at her and wave at her mockingly.

I look back down at Clove's deceased body and grab the knives that are in her hands and pull her pack off her body.

I make my way quickly to Thresh's side as I hear a roar of anger. I recognize the shout as Cato's. Obviously, he found his District partner's body and he won't be happy when he finds out who the culprit that ended her life was.

**A/N: A little dark I know, but I did give a warning that this story wasn't exactly clean**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Axel POV**

Once we'd run out of breath and we seem far enough away from the Cornucopia, we slow down to a stop and we settle down on a log. As we catch our breath, I watch Thresh, seeing his heaving chest start to rise as much as it should normally rise.

I sighed in relief and pulled out the sheath of knives hanging off my waist. I licked my lips, taking the bow and quiver off my shoulder and hand the items to him. I see his eyes trail down my face when I offer the weapons. I look at his face and realize that he has specks of reddish-brown showing off his face.

"We need to keep moving soon." I manage to say, the pain of the deep wound that Clove gave to my bicep beginning to catch up with me. I wince as the pain steadily grows, stinging and aching. I wonder if Clove's pack has a first-aid. "But first we should see what we've got."

Thresh nods, obviously avoiding talking. I watch as he slings the bow over his shoulder and bundles up a plastic sheet. I look at the plastic sheet, curious. Maybe we could use it in case of downpour if we're away from a water source. I look back at my blood red pack. I'm not sure if it caught any splattered blood because of the color. It would blend right in. I shake my head, chasing the thoughts away.

I have the blankets that I managed to scoop up along with the sheath and bow, the dozen of knives that I took from Clove and the dried fruits that will serve us as food for the time being. And Clove's pack, a rather large pack, might I say, is muddy green, a good color, unlike Thresh's pack which will most likely be easy to spot within the evergreens.

I open up my bag and find a thermos. I pick it up and shake it next to my ear, but hear nothing. I pop it open and, just as I guessed, it was empty of fluids. There's a loaf of bread that's wrapped in plastic to keep it from going stale and painkiller pills. A bundle of rope that will most likely be able to serve for a lot of things. And that's it. My pack inventory is very limited. So I move on to Clove's pack.

As soon as I open it, I know that this was lying at the mouth of the Cornucopia. It's filled to the top with supplies. It has a sleeping bag, what look to be sunglasses, a small first-aid kit, three containers filled with three different ointments. Obviously, they're some sort of medicine. I dig through more of it, finding more rope, a loaf of bread, different types of meat jerky, dried fruits, wire, a set of knives, a shirt and pants and an extra pair of hiking boots. I examine the clothes, wondering if they fit all sizes even though most of the tributes haven't been fed properly most of their lives.

I hold the shoes in my hand, the soles have a pattern on them and are made of hard rubber, obviously making you good prey to track but able to create more friction when it comes to climbing trees. I feel the material and it's rough and durable. I suddenly remember hearing about this. Sometimes, the Capitol makes materials that stretch but don't change in appearance at all. They might come in handy. I shrug, placing them back in the pack.

As I place everything back in, I feel Thresh's hand on my bicep, on the part that Clove stabbed with her knife. I hiss, immediately pulling away but cause more pain with the movement.

"You're hurt," He simply said.

I look at the wound again, seeing that it's deep. It needs to be treated but that would give the Careers enough time to reach us. I shake my head. "I'll treat it later." I replied, beginning to place the first-aid back into the pack and ignoring the sting of the cuts.

"It'll get infected." He yanks the kit away from my hands and beginning to open the pack.

"The longer we stay in this spot, the closer that they are to us." I argue, gesturing to the direction that we came from.

"The longer that that goes untreated, along with the other cuts, is the closer that infection comes in." Thresh tells me, pulling out rubbing alcohol that he somehow got and a sewing needle. Then he pulls out the stitching string. "It's a deep cut, it won't heal on its own if we just clean it."

I sigh, looking away and biting my lip as he dabs the slice on my palm and shoulder. I focus on a tree behind Thresh and try to count the number of branches to keep me distracted from the pain that is tearing into my arm.

Once he's done, I bite down on my lip as he begins to stitch the wound on my bicep together. I wince every time that the needle pierces my skin. Once he finishes, he cleans the needle and puts the first-aid away.

"I should put some of my stuff in the packs. The orange might get us killed," He spoke, unloading his pack and placing a third of its contents into Clove's, since it was full already and the rest in mine since it's practically empty of anything useful. Then we begin to move again.

* * *

After about an hour of walking, he suddenly turns to me. "The lake."

I look at him confused at the sudden thought. "What?" I question.

"The lake that was next to the Cornucopia. What if it's the only lake at the arena?" Thresh asks.

Now that I think back, I did notice a bit of blue back at the Cornucopia in the corner of my eye but I didn't think much of it. I was thinking about how to keep Katniss safe for the time being while getting supplies.

I shake my head. "No, there can't just be one lake in one arena. There's got to be another one..." I trail off before another thought hits me. "Unless they don't have their geography straight, the valley should create a run-off for water and there should be a river down there." I suggest firmly as Thresh nods at my suggestion.

After a couple of hours of walking and finding nothing, it begins to get dark and it's blatantly clear that we have to make camp. Thresh makes two traps from the wire that was in his pack but the traps might hint off any wandering tribute of others nearby, so we walk five more minutes before deciding to settle down.

Thresh picks a tree carefully. He picks out a willow that isn't extremely tall but closely grown with other willows around it, offering good concealment. I let him climb up to set up his sleeping bag at the best spot.

"You coming?" Thresh asks as he settles in.

"I'd rather not. Don't want to risk ripping the stitches you just put in. I'll sleep in a bush or something." I replied, Thresh nodded in acceptance.

The anthem suddenly begins to play.

It stays quiet between Thresh and I as we watch the night sky, watching as the Capitol's seal is projected into the night along with the fallen tributes. The face of Clove comes up, letting me know that both from 1 and Cato are still alive. Then I see both tributes from 4, surprising me because the boy was aligned with Cato and he is a great fighter. Then the boy from District 5. Both tributes from 6 and 7. Both from 9 and the boy from 10.

11 tributes gone in the first day since we got here. That leaves 12 more until there's a victor.

As I contemplate over this, the Capitol's anthem plays again and ends with musical flourish and I'm left in the silence of the night, wondering what tomorrow will bring. We have to get to a water source or we're both goners by tomorrow night.

"Thresh." I called out, loudly so he could hear me but soft enough to not give away our position.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking down at me.

"Thanks for making me snap out of it. I just stood there like an idiot, but you stepped in and saved me from possibly getting killed." I replied, looking back up at him.

I could see him give a smile. "Axel, I wouldn't be much of an ally if I didn't look out for you. We both swore to watch out for each other in the arena. There's no way in hell that I would go back on my word. And I know that you wouldn't either." Thresh explained to me with a warm smile and a nod.

"Try to get some sleep alright?" He called down to me after laying back on his branch. "I will." I promised with a huff.

**Time skip**

It isn't very long before I stir awake. It's still nighttime but I can't fall back asleep. I made sure to keep my bag close to me should something happen. I silently search my bag for the sunglasses. There's got to be some reason why they were in here. Most of the map is forestry, so how would this help any?

Shrugging my shoulders, I put the glasses on just to see if they do anything and I had to slap my hand over my mouth to keep from making any noise. I could see in the dark. I looked around and could see the outline of the trees as well as the outline of the mountains in the pitch-black sky.

"This is amazing." I muttered to myself. "I guess now I can sneak around and try to get a look on where the other tributes are." I crawled out of my sleeping bag silently and readjusted me knife belt on my waist, drawing two knives from it and taking an icepick grip on them as I started to make my way to the closest mountain side.

The coolest thing about the glasses is that they showed temperatures as well, so I could easily see Thresh's form against the tree he was sleeping in. I could see the Careers about a hundred yards away near an open clearing. They had stockpiled the rest of the Cornucopia goods into one big pile for easy stealing.

That was all I could see from this angle clearly. The trees managed to hide the other tributes from my view and I knew that if I wanted to know where they are, I would have to go farther into the woods. But I didn't have the time, nor did I want to separate from Thresh so early. So, I made my way back to Thresh where he was still asleep. I made sure to put everything back as I tried to fall back asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Axel POV**

I'm awakened as I hear rushing footsteps. I sigh, looking up at Thresh. He seems concealed by the branches and leaves. I know that I am completely wreathed in green, so I know that I'm safe from being spotted as is Thresh. I see the pair of hands disappear from the limited light of the campfire and a high-pitched scream. I try not to wince as I stare into space, not daring to move a muscle as they pass us minutes after.

As they pass, I could hear their roars of laughter, making the corners of my lips tip down into a frown. "Twelve down and eleven to go!"

"Did you hear the way she screamed?"

"I know. She was all begging for mercy. 'Oh, please don't kill me!'"

"Better clear out while we can before the body begins stinking," Cato says as I notice that they begin to walk in our direction. My heartbeat picks up a notch, wondering if they will see me.

After they pass us again, I almost let out the breath that I've been holding since they've arrived. But then they pause about ten yards away from Thresh's tree, most likely glancing back.

"Why isn't the cannon sounding?"

"Did she die?"

"I don't know. I'll go back and make sure." Cato's voice says. I could imagine the predatory, deadly glint in his eye. I don't get intimidated or scared easily but when his cold gaze lands on me, the chill of it makes me cold to the bone. But I shake my head and push that out of my mind.

After a couple of minutes, I wince at the sound of the cannon and the squeal that the girl gave.

"There, I got her. She was crawling away for dear life." Cato guffaws. The rest of the Careers laugh along with him. They make jokes of the girl's death as they trek onward, away from us.

After their voices fade away along with the light of their torches, I let out a long breath, and look around at our surroundings. Nothing really seems out of the ordinary. Nothing that indicates a stalking tribute, so I assume that we're safe. We're going to have to keep moving when we wake up and find some water.

How in the world did the Careers manage to get here when they were so far away not that long ago? I wondered as I sat up in my sleeping bag, still out of sight.

After a while, the sound of the birds chirping pauses and the hovercraft appears and disappears, taking the dead tribute girl along with it. After a while we're silent and among the silence I lose myself in consciousness and go into a deep sleep with nothing but the sounds of the birds in the trees around us to keep company.

* * *

I awaken to the sound of Thresh rustling in his sleeping bag and removing the rope. I look up at him and look around. It couldn't have been more than an hour. "What are you doing?" I question.

He looks down at me. Then goes back to his business. "We've got to keep moving. We can't just stay here and be sitting ducks just waiting to be picked out for hunting." I look back down at my hands. He's right, I know that but the paranoia of the Careers coming back and finishing us off gets my nerves bunched up, making me frustrated and jumpy.

Thresh jumps off from his spot close to the ground and we begin to trek once again. The second that he takes the first step, he tilts his head to the side and smirks knowingly. I shook my head at his show of skill.

Thresh begins to walk like he has a definite direction. I realize that we're going to check on the snares that we set up. We are both rewarded with a plump, meaty rabbit. I quickly gut it and clean it; Thresh hiding the head, feet, tail, skin and guts under a pile of leaves. I begin to wonder about the dead tribute girl's fire and we both check on it. Just as we suspected, the coals are still hot, and we managed to roast the rabbit. Soon, after our meal, we head off in the opposite direction that the Career pack headed off to.

After a couple of hours, it becomes painfully apparent that both Thresh and I need water desperately. A headache begins to slowly creep in and my muscles are beginning to tire. Once I look up into the trees, I realize that there must be cameras in the trees and they're probably giving us a close-up. I look back at the ground, just waiting for a sign of water like moss or moist dirt. But there's not a single hint. I let Thresh munch on half of the rabbit as we go, as I'm not hungry.

After a while, my breathing becomes a bit labored. Never on my life have I gone this long without drinking at least a drop of water. A drop of water would do me good at the moment. I feel pathetic. It hasn't even been a day yet but I'm dehydrating like a fish out of water.

I'm surprised that I'm still standing because I've been throwing up bile for the past three minutes. Thresh rubs my back as I hunch over hacking the rabbit that I just ate back out. Once I'm done, he supports my side as I stagger alongside him. I've been reduced to using a cane. After hours of walking with the hot sun bearing down on us, the lack of water soon starts to affect Thresh as well. His breaths soon come in short pants and he rubs grease on his lips from the rabbit. None of this seems to have an effect though.

Then I begin to stumble over my own two feet in the late afternoon. Thresh turns to me, his expression worried and he looks up at a tree. "Maybe we should rest here?" he suggests.

I shake my head. "We have to find water. I can keep going." I reply.

But Thresh shakes his head. "We could both use some rest. Let's just sit here and rest for a bit."

I think it over and nod. I'm no good exhausted and dehydrated. I sit down on a log and shrug off my backpack, wincing when the pain of my arm makes itself apparent. I wince and shrug off the black jacket. I tug the sleeve up to me shoulder and crane my neck to get a look at the stitches. I cringe when I look at them. It's bleeding. A thin trail of blood stops mid-upper arm and the skin is pulled at and sometime torn in a few. I move it the slightest bit and a deep, stinging ache makes me bite my lip to hold in a groan.

I bite my tongue and tug the sleeve back down. I'll disinfect it later when we find water. A distant voice in my mind butts in and decides to taint my hopeful thoughts with 'if we find water' but I try to my best to ignore it. I need to focus on the basic thought of finding water and surviving this.

After a few minutes though, we decided to continue moving. By this time, it's the afternoon, I know that I shouldn't be alive. I tremble as I walk and Thresh is practically dragging me forward. When I am practically crawling all over the ground, I grip Thresh's wrist, turning his determined attention to me.

"What? We have to keep on moving," He tells me, urgently. "Get up."

I press my lips together in a thin line, looking up at him, giving a look that gets me message straight across. His brows furrow in confusion. "What?" I keep looking at him. "You want me to keep moving? Without you?"

I take a deep, ragged breath, the throbbing in my head making the words coming out of my mouth hurt. "You have to keep going…I'll just slow you down."

Thresh's mouth hangs open as he shakes his head. "No. No, I can't. You have to be with me when we get to the water. If I leave you here, you could die." Thresh hefts me up onto his back as he proceeds to carry me like a sack of potatoes.

**Line Break**

As Thresh begins to walk more and more, I begin to lose hope. There's no way that we're going to find water. And if there is any nearby, we won't live long enough to find it.

We don't have much water in District 12 but, despite the little we have, but we do have some and I haven't ever gone a day without at least drinking a pint from the lake. I've never gone a day without water. My face contorts in pain when the dull ache in my head intensifies.

My face is suddenly on the ground and Thresh kneels beside me, lips chapped and his skin pale. His eyes looking at me and I meet them with my own. I swallow, nothing moistening my mouth. My throat burns when I speak. "I'm sorry," I mutter.

Thresh seems to understand the depth of my apology because he shakes his head. "No…"

It's almost like he's trying to say that it's not your fault but I can't be too sure. The ache in my head get stronger and I groan, stuffing my face into the cool ground and looking back again.

I reach out to feel his arm, my own arm covered in slick, cool dirt to feel his just as covered. "At least it's cool here. It's…cool and moist and…" I trail off.

Thresh's hand reaches out to my face, tracing the line of my nose and dragging his finger across my cheek. His hand returns with slick, wet dirt as he spreads it over my forehead and starts to draw on my face with it. It's mud. I almost smile. At least we'll be dying on cool and moist mud.

The information soaks in and we both seem to tense up at the realization, looking up at each other to see him begin to swirl her fingers in it, creating spiral designs.

"Mud…" He breathes out in shock.

My hand joins his, pressing down to have the cool putty squish underneath, moving over my fingers as my hand sinks itself into the wet ground. "Mud," I repeat in shock.

I attempt to stand but my arms give out the second that I attempt to heft myself up onto my feet. My head is throbbing at the wave of thoughts going through my head now. It isn't just the mud. I also smell water lilies.

Thresh and I end up crawling through the mud, our hands still in each other's grip. We drag ourselves through a mess of plants and we're inside a pond, the fresh water reaching up to my waist as I sit up in it. Thresh and I looked at each other in shock, almost as if asking the other if we're still alive.

If I'm not, I would be fine with it. I have water and I'm completely content!

I submerge my face into the water, absolutely famished and just feel the cool liquid on my face. I lift my head out and cup some more in my hands, splashing my face with it. I let out a long, relieved sigh.

"Water…" My dry throat croaks out.

Thresh reaches out for my hand, looking at me. He shakes his head. I look back down at the water, swallowing. I know that sometimes water isn't exactly the cleanest, but I think back to the water from the lake back home. It isn't exactly the purest of water but its water. Years of drinking from that water source has made me somewhat immune to bugs or minor sicknesses that it carries. I've only gotten sick once or twice out those years drinking from it.

"Screw this." I muttered, shoving my face back under water as I started to gulp down the heavenly liquid around me.

At some point, I look back up at Thresh as he fills both his gallon sized water bottle up with water and my meager thermos as well. He sets aside the bottles after putting in the correct number of iodine drops. We both wait patiently for the water to purify.

As the heavenly liquid slips down my throat, I'm thanking some otherworldly power above for their mercy and I'm already feeling better. By the time that I'm done with the bottle, I could swear that I feel the color rush back to my cheeks and I feel up to making another trek farther into the unknown woods to see if any tribute dares to come in our way.

I then fill up the gallon in Clove's pack and put the iodine in it. Then I begin to chew my lip. My stitches will need to be resewed and my wound will need to be disinfected. Maybe some water will do it some good. But as I reach for the gallon, that thought is soon overwhelmed by the urge to drink.

At least we have water.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Axel POV**

When I'm done with my fourth gallon, or maybe it was my fifth? Thresh decided that he's going to rest on top of the tree nearby. I watch as he strides over to it, his water gallon clutched tightly in her right hand. He looks at me curiously and points at me. "Aren't you going to rest?"

I shake my head. "No. I think I'll take watch, just in case some bastard of a tribute decides to make a move or anything." Thresh nods, hiking up his pack higher on his shoulder and scaling the tree nimbly and quickly.

Once I see that he's made himself comfortable, nestled in his sleeping bag and cradling his gallon, I turned away. I clutch at my bicep and slipping off my sweater and stripping myself of my shirt, leaving me shirtless. I could care less of what the audience sees, but I could imagine Claudius just making crude remarks about how much of a good time the ladies are having.

I check my bicep, feeling my arm scream in protest as I turn it at an angle to where I could see it. I grimace when a horrible stench hits my nose. It's beginning to get infected and it's getting infected fast. I hastily reach for one of my knives in my pack, gritting my teeth as I rip each one of the stitches and pull them out with a gasp. Soon, the wound is bleeding and red and angry.

I grab the small cup that I had filled earlier with purified water, refraining from gulping it down. And dip a cloth torn from my shirt into it, beginning to squeeze out excess water but thinking the better of it as I think about the soothing relief my burning and stinging arm would feel when the cool water makes contact.

I gingerly press the cloth folded over the tips of my fingers onto it, the momentary shock becoming a soothing relief and I let out a sigh, almost smiling. I press the whole cloth onto it, the cool water feeling heavenly against my warm, fevered skin. It's almost like my skin is absorbing the water.

I lift the soaked cloth from my arm and press it down again, more water being squeezed up against the skin. The relief is immediate. Even some of the pain is starting to go away.

I pull the cloth off the wound, the pain becoming more of a dull ache now. Furrowing my brows, I dip the cloth inside the cup again, craning my neck to check the wound and already nearing my hand toward my bicep when…it's not there anymore.

I furrow my brows, lowering the soaked cloth onto my lap and reaching out to twist my arm to see if the wound was somehow in another spot harder for me to see with my very eyes. I furrow my brows.

I reach out and grasp my whole bicep and wince. There is now only a dull ache deep inside the muscle tissue. I furrow my brows. It only feels like I've been punched.

"What the hell…" I murmur aloud when the sudden smell of smoke meets my nostrils, burning through my nose. I spin around to see a wall of flames cascading towards us.

My immediate instinct is to run. I hastily throw on my shirt and fist up my jacket in my hand, grabbing the water gallon and my pack before turning towards Thresh. The cry rips out of my throat before the very boy smacks right into me. We look at each other for a moment and then we bolt. We run side-by-side, striding with the animals. Thresh was quick even for his size and nimble, fast and agile.

I've had my fair share of times, running through the woods myself so we sprint cleanly through the evergreens. The animals dash through the woods, leaping gracefully over fallen tree limbs and rocks while I almost trip through one. When Thresh's boot snags on a fallen limb, those three seconds of pause allow the fire to near us enough to feel the burning heat on my back.

I yank Thresh out of his spot and push him forward. He retaliates my shove with a yank of his own, as we sprint passed trees, avoiding some and almost running into others. The scorching heat is absorbed into my hair, making me want to rip it off.

We fly passed other shrub and I lead Thresh one way instead of another, a clearer path because the one that we were about to run into was filled with boulders. The smoke soon catches up with us though.

It burns my nostrils and sets my lungs aflame. I tug my shirt over my nose, hoping that this would help as we run, but Thresh begins to fall behind. I look back at him to see his face looking green. I look back at the fire and quickly come to think that we have a few seconds to spare.

I nudge him in front of some shrubs, letting him crouch down before he gags, letting go of the little food that we had eaten before. I remove my gloved hand, that holds the cloth over my nose and look back at him and back at the fire. It's catching up quick.

Thresh hazardously packs his sleeping bag into his shoulder pack and reorders a few essentials as I zip up my own pack. When he's about done, I turn to check on the fire only to see a flaming ball sail right at my face. I duck just in time, falling to the ground.

I stand back up quickly, reaching out and holding his arm in a vice-grip, lifting him up quickly and pulling him to run with me. I tug the cloth of my shirt over my nose again and I keep my ears open for any whizzing or hissing of fireballs heading our way.

The hissing makes me look back and it's heading straight toward Thresh. I widen my eyes and move to the right, tackling him out of harm's way. It flies passed us, landing in a steaming, hissing ember-filled bunch on the ground.

Thresh stands and reaches out his hand to me. He's a good distance away from me, about three feet and I have to really stretch out to reach the hand. The sound of another fireball reaches my ears, making me stiffen and turn. Another fireball heads straight towards us. I don't need to know the precise aim or target to know that it's going straight for Thresh and my joined hands.

I react instantly, ripping my grip out of Thresh's and kicking him away to see the fireball narrowly whiz by us and hit a tree, the flames consuming the trunk of it within seconds.

Thresh jumps to his feet and we make a run for it, jumping or sliding out of the way of any incoming ball of flames. It's a good thing that we've kept a distance from each other, giving each other space to move to if a fireball is on our heels.

I look back at Thresh, he looked about ready to throw up again. I look behind us. Two fireballs are making their way toward us, at the same speed and at the same time. I slide out of the fireball's way but, it must've known, or at least been programmed, to change direction when Thresh moved as well, passing by me as I move out of the way and heading straight towards him.

Without thinking about it, I tackle Thresh to the ground before I know it and the end of my jacket is set aflame.

I let out a shriek, jumping off him and feeling the fire burn at the skin of my ribcage. Thresh looms over me, calling out to me, demanding that I calm down and taking off his pack, patting it down on the jacket that's set aflame. The patting touches my burns, only making it worse and I roar in pain, taking off my jacket and throwing it away from me and rolling on the ground, stifling the flames.

As I get back onto my feet, I look down at my torso, catching a glimpse of an angry, red welch on my ribcage. It's so big and it stings with unimaginable pain. I look back up and begin to run, the unbearable pain needing to be ignored if we're going to make it out of this.

We run and run until we can't anymore, and we reach a few rocks. My staggering steps are blind and uncoordinated. I'm not surprised that my foot slips and I fall. Thresh calls out my name but I land in a splash of cool water. My cry turns into a relieved sight when I'm submerged in the water, feeling it have the same effect as it did my wound to this burn. The stinging and burning dies down a bit but I'm sure that that's just the water.

"Axel!" Thresh's voice draws me out of my stupor, making me aware that all my clothes are wet and going to be a pain to dry.

I heft myself out of the water, sopping and soaked, the boots squishing underneath each step. I look at her as he looks at me frustrated but his eyes are drawn to my torso.

He walks passed me and lies on his stomach, dipping his hands into the water and releasing a relieved sigh. I look down at myself, my brows furrowed and find the source of his discomfort. Practically the entire left side of my shirt is burnt away, revealing all my flesh underneath, up to my pectorals. But it doesn't look as bad as it did minutes ago.

"What the hell…"

The murmur is loud enough to catch Thresh's attention. He turns back with a frown. I look at him and back down to my side. There's nothing but soft red splotches on my side; they're almost pink. They're painful but not nearly as painful as it used to be.

"Look! It's not that burnt." Astonishment tainting my voice. He glimpses down and looks back up at me. "Yes. I can see that." He says blatantly.

I look back down, the brief image of the glimpse of a red, angry burn on my side creeping into my mind. "But…I could've sworn that it was worse…" I murmur.

I must be losing my mind. That's the only possible reason for me see shit like that.

Thresh smirks and turns away sighing as he looks at his hands. I look at them as well to discover that they're hands were speckled with red blisters and I grimace. He probably got those while trying to extinguish the fire on me.

He looks at me and the underlying question has me reaching for my red pack, sifting through and picking out the container that has the words 'Burn Ointment' on it. I sit down in front of him, grimacing when the burns on my side rub against the shirt and Thresh looks at it, biting his lip and clenching his jaw.

I pop open the ointment and scoop a decent amount with my two fingers. I gesture for him to give me an open hand and he hesitantly lays it on mine. I grip it softly as I spread out some of the ointment across his palm. He gasps a soft intake of breath before letting it out in a content sigh. I almost smile. "Does it help?" I question.

"A lot."

I quickly spread it over his other palm and he does a quick job of my side, trying too hard to keep his mind on the task. The relief is immediate, and I let out a groan, the pain easing tremendously.

Once we're both treated and good, we rested against the boulder that allows us a decent view of the spring. I finally allow myself a moments' peace, but the falling and loud footsteps afterward snap me out of my reverie. The games are back on.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Thresh POV**

We're in a tree, sitting on the highest branches we could sit on in the tree, Axel underneath me but sitting in another tree next to mine. Once we heard the whooping of the Careers, we ran as fast as we could. The ointment for the burns did wonders for me because as I was running, it was almost like the burns weren't there to begin with. My eyes wandered from the Careers to Axel's bicep in curiosity. I wonder how he managed to climb almost as quickly as I could with that pierced bicep of his.

"Hello." Cato, the boy from 2, calls up to us, a manic grin on his face. "How's it going up there?"

"It's actually quite nice." Axel retorts in a strained voice, his breaths coming in heavy pants. I smile at what he's playing at. "You should come up here. The air is quite fresh."

The Careers' heads jerk back, as if surprised that we responded, and I could almost hear the laughter of the Capitol. I smile, looking down at Axel to see his wide grin on the Careers, daring them to climb on up. I doubt that the Careers have ever climbed an actual tree in their life.

"Oh, maybe I should. Should I go up there?" Cato questions, looking to the other Careers with a wide grin.

But the boy from 1, Marvel, steps up. "No, let me, I'd like to catch myself the water boy."

"Yeah, get that bow for me, Marvel." Glimmer says with a laugh.

Soon, Marvel, is being cheered by the small group. I almost want to smirk. I take my bow in hand when I see Marvel begin to scale up the tree, his hand reaching for a thick branch.

Now, I must say that Marvel is not a small boy. He's a little bigger than Axel, though tall and stealthy, is lean and obviously light. He'd be able to reach Axel and go up farther if he finishes him off, but I highly doubt that. I know that Axel is perfectly capable of defending himself and more than competent with attacking.

Once Marvel is a few feet off the ground, he looks back down at the rest. "Hey, can you give me the sword?" he questions.

Cato tilts his head. "No, this is my sword. You had the spear."

Marvel shakes his head. "Just give me the damn sword. It's more lethal."

Cato reluctantly tosses the sword to Marvel, who catches it by the hilt, holding it in one hand while he scales the tree. He smiles manically, laughing as he climbs another meter, rather quickly catching up to Axel. "I'm coming for you, Water boy. I'm going to kill you."

I cringe, turning away, expecting the boy to have a dagger in his head in less than a second. Axel likes to keep some of his knives in his belt for situations like this when he'd need to make a quick grab for one, like he does now. I soon hear the quick sound of a knife whizzing through the air but then the sound of metal scraping against each other and then screams of protest. I furrow my brows, looking back at the scene. Marvel has a shocked look on his face, his sword held up in front of his face protectively.

"Huh, so that's what got you that score." Cato calls. "Clove would've beat your ass."

Axel looked up to me grinning before facing Cato again. "Oh, and where is she now?" He taunted with a wide smirk.

Cato's face is a shade darker than a tomato as he hastily reaches for the spear in the boy from 6's hand and then throws it toward Axel, missing him so pathetically that it shows that he's clearly incompetent with a spear.

"Do it again, I think you missed!" Axel called out, making me want to snicker. I smile, shaking my head and pressing my forehead against the tree's trunk.

"Huh, seems like I did. Go, get 'em Marvel!" Cato cheers, causing another uproar of cheers to spread throughout the small clique. I look down to see Marvel barely three feet from Axel, his sword drawn and prepared to attack even his feet.

Axel climbs up after me. We climb until the sounds of the branches creaking in protest begin to make us worry and then we stop to see Marvel quickly catching up. "You're dead, Water boy!"

I expect Axel to throw another knife. I expect him to climb higher senselessly. But that would have more sense than what he does.

He drops down to Marvel's level in less than a second, sending a hard punch to his jaw and then effortlessly pulling the sword out of Marvel's hand. I look at the look on Marvel's face, seeing his expression full of anger. Suddenly Marvel is flying off the tree, Percy's leg outstretched and the blade finally in his grip, firmly in his own grip.

He had kicked Marvel off the tree.

Marvel somehow lands on his arm, giving out a cry of pain, writhing on the ground. He rolls to his back. His arm is bend at an awkward angle. Cato dashes to the base of the tree, roaring as he attempts to scale up the tree. But all too soon, he's flailing down to the ground, landing on his back.

Axel then drops down to the ground, landing on his feet agilely. He then goes at slicing his way around the Careers. I look at all his victims, finding that he seriously injured them, but didn't kill them. I almost feel disappointed as it would mean less competition.

But I can see an evil glint in his eyes that make me second guess that thought.

When I see Glimmer lingering behind Axel, him busy, fending off the girl from 3 with her electrical spear, and then I notice her long, curving blade held tightly in her hand, edging closer to him. I quickly make my way down the tree, nimbly climbing down the branches. Biting my lip, I realize that I'm not going to make it down the tree by the time that she decides to lash out.

Taking my bow in hand, I aim for her head. I prepare to let it loose when I suddenly get a sick feeling in my stomach. I hesitate, watching as Glimmer nears Axel as he barely manages to deflect a jab from the girl and dodge the stolen machete from Cato.

I change my aim to the space exactly in front of her nose and let the arrow loose. It whizzes right by her nose. She jumps, crying out and looking at me. I managed to nick her, drawing blood.

I stand my ground against her glare, sure that my expression sends the message that that was a warning. She sneers. I huff out a breath, dropping down to the ground, in front of her. I stand in front of Glimmer, immediately training an arrow onto her. A scream and a shout from Axel's direction draws my attention for a split second.

I see the girl from 3 drop to her knees, holding her arm as blood seeps from between her fingers and Cato gives Axel a death glare, but he just smiles back. He trains the point of the sword to Cato in a warning manner and I make my way to him, both Glimmer and I circling around each other until I stand back-to-back to Axel.

I see Glimmer move to Cato, her eyes never leaving mine. They're full of hate and spite and her eyes are still on me when she whispers something close to Cato's ear. He relaxes, his eyes still angry but he steps back, a clear sign of surrender.

Both of us send each other a questioning glance, as if considering this. Both our weapons are still trained on the two. We give each other one last look before dashing away into the woods. Looking back, I see Cato throw a fit, stomping on the ground and shouting angrily while Glimmer shouts something and they both get silent as they look at the others.

I turn back to see that we're heading in the direction of the pond with surrounding boulders. We reach the brook of the lake and Axel and I look at each other.

Before I know it, we're both smiling, snickers coming from the both of us. The laughs are ridden with insanity and I can't imagine why I'm laughing now. Maybe it's because we survived an encounter with the Careers.

Only minutes ago, I would've thought that the reason of my death would be because of an encounter with the Careers like this. Never would the thought of surviving an encounter with them have wandered into my mind. Soon, the feel of Axel's arms around my shoulder startles me but with the strange buzzing in my blood at the thought of surviving such a thing, I don't mind.

I hug him back, his cheek pressing against my shoulder as my chin rests on his head. "We did it!" He whispers in astonishment. "We did it, we actually did it!"

Smiling I nod in agreement. "Yes, we did."

He pulls back and I look down at him, my smile soon fading. Red trails down his nose and over his left eye. I cringe when I see that his eye is actually red because some blood managed to get into it. The cut starts just above his brow and ends at the middle of his upper lip on the right side. It cuts diagonally across his face.

I grimace at it, my fingers finding their way to the cut across his nose. "We did it…" I trail off.

He smirks but I notice an extremely faint wince as the muscle where the cut sits on his upper lip moves. "…but not without a few scrapes." I finished.

Looking around, I suddenly realize where we are and I pull out of his arms. They fall away as he looks around also. The feeling of someone watching us makes shivers go down my back. Suddenly, the sound of a cannon startles me. Trembling, I lightly mouth 'one' to myself. Then another. Then another. Then another.

_Four._

Thinking back to the group of Careers, there were six of them. Now, Cato and Glimmer were the only ones standing and practically unscathed. Shaking my head, I look at Axel. He looks up at me, his face grim.

_16 down…7 more to go._

"I thought you only injured them." I pointed out.

Axel shook his head negatively, "I did, but I left them all with wounds that couldn't be healed. So they would bleed out giving us time to get further away." He explained in a hollow tone.

Looking back at Axel, I bite the inside of my lip. "We should get moving," He broke the silence.

Axel brought out a torn part of his shirt that we've used for a rag and dipping it into the water, squeezing excess water until the rag is just lightly dampened and pressing it to his face. After wincing momentarily, he has a look of relief and we walk through the dense woods as he cleans the blood from his face and the cut. Now he spreads the rapid healing ointment that he has in his pack and the cut has reduced to scabs that sit across his face.

After walking for what seems hours, we find a small cave fit perfectly for two tributes looking for hiding. It's about four feet high with a width of five feet. On the inside it was at least five feet high inside and a comfortable width of eight feet. I smirk. It almost seems too perfect.

"How about we both go looking for branches and bring them back to cover it from prying eyes?" I suggest.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**A/N: Axel and Thresh meet up with their district partners in this chapter.**

**Axel POV**

Smiling, I nod at his suggestion. We separate ways and I search for branches with a flurry of leaves. While I try to balance my sword in hand and keep my arm around the untamed branches that are in my other, I hear a snap of a branch from high above. Dropping the branches to the ground below I turn around leveling the blade of the sword at the direction of the sound. Looking above at the tree-tops, I look through them, trying to find anything that moves.

The branches from a tree to my right dip low and a small, mocha-colored hand appears, soon followed by boot covered feet and tawny pants. Then shoulders follow, and a familiar, twelve-year-old face appears.

Gasping, I lower my bow. Rue's big, brown eyes look at me in question and we stare at each other for the longest time. I hardly noticed her slinking through the branches. As we stare at each other, there are millions of questions in her eyes. I could imagine 'why am I not impaled with a sword?' being the first one. I can't imagine what horrors Rue's been through the last three days.

Then Katniss appears next to her, arrow aimed at my face as she sits on the same branch as Rue. I look over at her and lower my sword in a calming manner. I look back to Rue and notice her hollowed cheeks and her pale skin. Dark circles frame her lovely brown eyes and I visibly grimace. "Are you hungry?" I ask, looking between them both.

I almost want to smack myself for it but I know that I shouldn't want to. Rue does seem like she's in need of a good meal as does Katniss. Plus, Thresh and I didn't have to walk through the dense woods without catching a wild bird or rabbit.

Rue doesn't answer. She just stares back at me. As she shifts from her spot on the branch, I notice a burn that runs along her arm.

"I have something for that." I tell her as she glances at her arm before looking back at me. "Well, not with me currently. Thresh has it in his pack back at the cave. Do you want to join me?" I ask nicely as Katniss places her arrow back in her quiver.

After a long moment of silence, I could see the slightest nod come out of her. I nod at the spot next to me, gesturing for her to come down.

She hesitates before scaling down the branches, her diminutive body nimbly going down each branch with skill. She's so soundless, I envy her tree climbing skills. Katniss climbed down right behind her, just as easily.

Looking at me once she reaches the base, she looks at me. Slowly, I place my sword back into a custom sheath I made on my back out of bark. Then I reach down to grab the branches that I dropped. Looking back at her, I nod in the direction back to the cave that Thresh and I planned to spend the night in.

As we get closer, her eyes look at the branches in my arms curiously. "What are you planning to do with those?" Her voice surprises me.

"We found a small cave farther down. We're going to try to conceal it with these branches so that it would get easier to hide." I replied in a soft tone.

She nods at my words, her gaze moving to look forward again. "That's a good idea. Let's just hope that you and Thresh chose the same color of tones for it."

Nodding, I smile. "Yes. We agreed on green pine branches before we went searching for them."

The rest of the walk is silent. When we arrive, Thresh is already starting up a fire. Looking up, he makes a double take on my new companions. He looks at Rue and Katniss curiously before looking at me.

I look down at Rue to see her staring at Thresh nervously as she moves closer to me, even beginning to hide behind me.

Thresh lets out a small, gentle smile. Looking down at her arm, he sighs. Smiling warmly, he reaches out his hand to her. "Let's say we get that arm fixed up?" he says in a gentle tone.

Rue tentatively gives him her hand. Sitting her down next to him, he pulls out the ointment that he keeps in his pack. Taking her arm gently, he smooths it over the burnt area of her arm. I see her cringe at first contact of his hand on her arm and then she lets out a relieved sigh. Soon, the burn is gone and Thresh is closing the can and putting it away.

I look at the branches that my ally gathered beforehand and see that he's already woven them into some sort of covering door that looks like a meaningless pile of pine. Although there are some spots in between the branches that could see through them. I take my time to weave mine into it until you couldn't see through it at all.

Katniss is sitting next to Rue and is silent but wears a warm smile to both District 11 tributes. She still hasn't said a word to me, nor has she glanced at me since she got down with Rue.

Satisfied, I pull out the wild bird that I managed to catch with a snare and set to cooking it. While I gut it, Rue recognizes it as a bird that she calls groosling. Soon, we all have a piece of the bird and are discussing things.

"So, Rue. Have you been up in the trees this entire time?" I question as Katniss bites into the leg of the groosling. Grease drips down her chin causing me to smirk at her somewhat irritated expression but then shrugs it off, biting into it more.

Rue nods as she bites down onto a wing. "Yes. I used to work a lot in the trees back at home."

After swallowing a bite, Katniss joins in. "You guys do agriculture, right?"

Rue nods. "I collect the fruits and herbs from the trees."

"That explains your abilities in climbing trees so quietly," I remark, smiling at Rue. She nods, smiling at my compliment.

After we finish our meal, we move go into the cave, the lateness of the day beginning to make outside cold. Taking out our sleeping bags, Thresh spreads them out inside and Rue will use some of the blankets that I managed to get back at the Bloodbath.

Katniss covers the entrance with the woven branch covering. I walked back up to Katniss and she followed me to another section of the cave so that we could talk.

"Why invite us in?" She growled at me suspiciously.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You may not like me, but I still have a heart. Besides, now that Cato and Glimmer are by themselves, they will be more aggressive."

"Why are they alone?" She asked. "Last time I checked, they were in a pack of six."

"That was before they attacked Thresh and I in a tree. That was also before I killed four of his allies after being pulled away from the tree I was taking shelter in." I snapped back at her.

Her eyes widened. "Those cannons were your kills?" She asked, shocked.

"Yes they were." I replied firmly.

"Did you bring me here to kill me as well?" She asked.

"If you ask me that one more time, I might just take you up on that offer Katniss. I swear on everything that I own back home that it wasn't my intention to kill you when I asked to bring you and Rue here." I promised.

Katniss nodded and sighed relieved somewhat. "We should get some sleep." I nodded, and we walked back into the main area where Rue was already asleep.

* * *

**Thresh POV**

The morning after Axel brought Katniss and Rue into our alliance was very progressive. Rue was able to get most nuts and berries out with Katniss while I went down to look for a creek. Axel went out to set up a few snares nearby. Our gallons are about a quarter full now and we'd need to find some water soon.

By some miraculous instinct, I found a creek. A small one, no fish or anything in it and I tested the effects on human skin. I would not put it past the Game makers to bait us with acidic water. After making sure that my flesh didn't melt off or start feeling itchy, I took a cupful and pulled out the iodine. I put about one droplet in and waited ten minutes before testing the water to drink. After a half hour passed, I didn't die so it's wasn't poisonous. I deemed the water safe.

I take my gallon, which we emptied out into Katniss', and filled it up before putting in the prescribed dose of iodine. I walked back to the site while the iodine did its job. It took about ten minutes to get to the campsite and Rue and Katniss were inside the cave by the time I arrived.

While Katniss and Rue left, Axel and I were left to sort through the nuts. I sat down next to him and nudged him to face me. He turned to me, "what's up?"

"We can't all stay together. There's Cato, Glimmer, the girl from 5, Rue, Katniss and the both of us. We have to separate ourselves from them to ensure that as a group of four, we aren't targeted first." I advised Axel as he stopped sorting the nuts.

"You're right Thresh. As soon as they get back, we separate everything evenly and go our separate ways. That way it would be as fair as it could possibly get." I suggested, Thresh nodded.

The girls got back to the cave only a couple of minutes later. They noticed that everything was evenly set into to piles. Katniss looked at Axel confused.

"There are only three people left outside of this group of four. Thresh and I decided that we needed to keep ourselves separated from you two to ensure that one of us goes back home. Because the others, especially Cato and Glimmer are than likely to come after us first as we are a larger group." He explained, keeping my voice level.

"You're just abandoning us." Katniss snarled at him, getting into his face.

"Stand down Katniss." Axel snarled, his hand already hovering over the knife on his waist.

"I will not. We just got into a group and we could take those two on together." She argued.

"And what about after that? What happens after we take out those two? We would have to separate then and fight for ourselves. There is only one victor in the games, Katniss. Not four." Axel snapped at her.

She clenched her jaw and huffed turning away from her district partner. Rue walked up to me. "Thank you for letting us stay with you for a night."

I crouched down to her level and gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Warning: This chapter is action-packed and contains death!**

**Axel POV**

One thing that I made sure to keep to our group of two was the sunglasses that I could use at nighttime. I could use it to take out Glimmer and then lead Cato on a wild-goose chase.

So that's what I'm doing tonight. I adjusted my sword sheath along my back. Thresh was coming with me but was going to stay behind and make sure that Cato headed in a direction away from the both of us. We had a fall back point a little further away if things got bad.

We made sure to secure our supplies in a bush and formed a secret trap that would leave a tribute dangling the air if it came down to it. Thresh and I crept along silently to the area where Cato and Glimmer were sleeping. We both had sunglasses, so we could easily see their figures. Both were sleeping next to each other in a clearing.

"Hold on." I said softly, holding out an arm to stop Thresh from taking a step forward. "This seems way too easy. Even for them. Let me take a look from above." I said; Thresh nodding and staying in the tree line as I raced closer to them still taking cover in the forest.

I finally managed to get into a tree closest to them and climbed up it, stopping at the outstretched branch that rested just over the top of them providing shade from the moon. I could see that there was a collection of traps that would either immobilize or kill someone that tried to get close.

I hopped down onto the ground silently as I was only about ten feet above them when I was hovering from the branch. Silently, I made my way closer to them and looked at Glimmer, an emotionless expression on my face.

I woke her up by placing my hand over her mouth and nose, using my body to hold her down. She woke up fast but I restrained her easily without making a single sound. Reaching behind me with one arm, I unsheathed my sword and ran the edge along her throat teasingly. "Didn't you say something about slicing my throat?"

I leaned next to her and whispered silently in her ear. "This was way too easy." I remarked before leaning back away from her face. But I locked my steely gaze with hers as I decapitated her, killing her instantly. I got up off of her body and looked over to see Cato still asleep but I knew I only had a small amount of time to get out of there so I acted fast.

I placed Glimmer's head so it faced Cato's direction, still laying on the ground as I leaped back onto the thick tree trunk. I quickly climbed up into the branches as the cannon rang out.

The noise woke Cato up and he looked over to find his partner was the one who was killed. He looked around trying to see if he could see where the person that killed his ally went.

I nodded in Thresh's direction, giving him the signal, he was waiting for. Thresh stepped out into the open and called Cato's name, and taunted once before turning back around and fleeing into the forestry. Cato wasted no time in following Thresh in a direction opposite of where our stuff was. In no time, I could see him get lost on where Thresh was headed.

Thresh was a lot faster than what people gave him credit for. I smiled as he stopped next to the tree I was hiding in and looked up at me, a breathless smile aimed my way. I smiled back down at him and we headed back to where our supplies were.

* * *

It hadn't been very long when another cannon sounded, shaking us out of our meal of berries and groosling. We both knew that we wouldn't get an idea on who it was that was killed, but I hoped that it was the girl from district 5.

Then another cannon sounded off almost immediately after the first one. I looked over at Thresh, worried. Then a loud yell sounded off. One that I knew exactly who it was.

Katniss.

She was yelling in sorrow and I instantly knew why. I looked back at Thresh. "Rue's dead." He looked back at me shocked and exhaled once, letting it sink in. It was barely daybreak and there were already three people dead.

Twenty people dead…only three more deaths until one of us were the victor.

The rest of the day had been silent. No more deaths as I guess that everyone and the Game makers want a break from watching one of us die. Thresh and I had started to work out in simple exercises and stretches getting the both of us ready for a final confrontation.

The anthem playing caught our attention as we looked to the sky. The face to pop up was Glimmer's. Likely shocking Katniss as she finally figured out who the first cannon today was for. Then came the girl from District 5, cementing my guess that Katniss must have been the one to kill her. Lastly, Rue's face appeared, bringing a tear to my eye.

I gulped and looked over at Thresh, who looked crestfallen. I knew that the both of us didn't want her to die, but now we would face it. There was always a chance that she would die. We were just glad that for someone of her stature, she lasted so long.

Then the anthem played again, showing us the nighttime sky. Thresh and I made our way to a nearby sturdy tree so the both of us could get off the ground. We secured ourselves in our sleeping bags and fastened them to the branches around us as we went to sleep.

**Line Break**

"Hey Thresh." I called out as we collected water from a nearly empty lake. It seemed like the game makers were pushing the four of us closer together. Practically asking for a deadly confrontation. All of us had killed at least one person, so it wasn't like we were innocent.

"Yeah?" He asked, filling up his container before placing it into his pack. He looked over at me in concern at my sudden outburst. I could see a tree camera zooming in on us.

"If it just gets down to the two of us…I want you to be the victor." I said firmly.

His eyebrows raised up almost hiding in his hair. "Why would you say that?" He asked accusingly at me as he strode over and knelt next to me.

"Your family needs you Thresh. I have no family back home. No one to return to. But you do." I explained myself looking at him pointedly.

He seemed to be at a loss for words before finally nodding in acceptance. "Alright."

I nodded and stood up from my crouched position as did Thresh. He pulled me into a tight hug and we embraced each other for almost a full minute before stepping away. I shouldered my pack and we continued to move closer to the middle of the arena.

That's where the Game makers were herding us to. The Cornucopia. Where it all began is where it will also end.

* * *

It wasn't long before I could see Cato's figure standing around the Cornucopia's structure. I could also see Katniss sitting in a tree closer to Cato than to us.

Then Claudius' voice rang out startling each of us as the voice seemed to echo all around us. "Attention Ladies and Gentlemen of the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games. There has been a change that I am excited to let you all know about. If there is no action that takes place in the next day, all weapons will disappear from the arena and you will have to get your hands dirty." Then his voice disappeared as the gravity of what was just revealed to us sank in.

After 24 hours, the weapon would vanish, meaning we would have to kill someone with only our fists and feet. It would get messy quickly. And Cato would be even harder to beat at that point.

It seemed to dawn on Katniss and Thresh at the same time. Because before I could react, they both leaped from their positions into the clearing, drawing Cato's attention. He leaned off the Cornucopia and twirled two knives he had on his waist belt around on his palms.

I jumped down beside Thresh and held him back. "We can't just charge out there without a plan. Katniss could just as easily kill you from behind with her bow to avoid having to face you."

"That may be true, but we won't know until it happens." Thresh responded as he pulled himself from my grasp and charged back at Cato.

Katniss and Thresh seemed to work like a team if you could call one that. They both converged on Cato, seeing him as the bigger threat than each other. They worked together to tire out the monstrous boy from District 2 until he rested himself against the horn structure.

Then almost out of nowhere, Katniss fired an arrow at Thresh's chest, hitting him in his right side, making him stop and look at it in confusion. At that time, Cato had recovered from his previous breathless state. He turned his attention to Thresh but I stepped in front of him. I pulled the sword off of my back and turned so I could keep both Katniss and Cato in my line of sight.

In the blink of an eye, I had thrown a knife from my waistline, catching Cato right in the middle of his chest before he could even breathe. He collapsed onto the ground and tried to keep pressure on the wound, so he wouldn't bleed out.

But as I turned to face Thresh again, Katniss fired off two arrows in rapid succession in my direction. The arrows seemed to move in slow motion as it flew, each second as it got closer and closer to my body. I knew that I wouldn't have the time to move out of the way, seeing as it was aimed at my center-mass.

Then suddenly, I was moved aside as a body crashed into me from the right side. I was pushed out of the way of the deadly projectile as it sunk into another figure. I had accepted my death a long time ago and was ready to see my mother in heaven.

But when I looked up, I saw the one thing I never wanted to see. The one thing I wanted to avoid since we met each other and swore a pact of loyalty as allies and brothers in the arena. The one sight I wasn't ready to see. The sight I never thought was going to happen as I wanted to assure that he made it to the end of the Games. The one person I wanted to go back home even at the cost of my own life.

Thresh had two arrows through the center of his chest.

**It wouldn't be me if I didn't hit you in all the feels.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Warning: Rage-filled Axel! Many Deaths and Gore**

**Previously:**

_In the blink of an eye, I had thrown a knife from my waistline, catching Cato right in the middle of his chest before he could even breathe. He collapsed onto the ground and tried to keep pressure on the wound I just gave him._

_But as I turned to face Thresh again, Katniss fired an arrow in his direction. The arrow seemed to move in slow motion as it flew, each second as it got closer and closer to my body. I knew that I wouldn't have the time to move out of the way, seeing as it was aimed at my center-mass._

_Then suddenly, I was moved aside as a body crashed into me from my right. I was pushed out of the way of the deadly projectile as it sunk into another figure. I had accepted my death a long time ago and was ready to meet my mother in heaven._

_But when I looked up, I saw the one thing I never wanted to see. The one thing I wanted to avoid since we met each other and swore a pact of loyalty as allies and brothers in the arena. The one sight I wasn't ready to see. The sight I never thought was going to happen as I wanted to assure that he made it to the end of the Games. The one person I wanted to go back home even at the cost of my own life. _

_Thresh had two arrows through his chest, right were his lungs were located._

* * *

**Now:**

Crimson

That was all I saw as soon as Thresh collapsed onto the ground in front of me. I almost couldn't breathe as he hit the ground, unmoving. I heard Katniss leave the area, but my focus was on my fallen ally.

I raced over to pull Thresh onto his back and made him look up at me. "Thresh…c'mon man, stay with me." I gasped out as I snapped the shafts of the arrows but left the arrowheads in his body. I knew he couldn't survive this. "Why?! Why would you do that?!" I yelled hysterically at him as I started to tear up.

"Had…to protect…you Axel. Not much…o-of a b-brother…to let you…die…when there was…s-something I could…do a-about it." He gasped out as he started to breathe deeper. He grasped my arm tightly and I grasped his other hand tightly, trying to squeeze some life into him. "Win this…for us…for my family…and for your mother…Please Axel." He pleaded with me.

I nodded at him. "Of course, I'm going to win this. I'm going to win this for you, Thrasher." I teased out, drawing a smile from him. Thrasher was my nickname I had for him when I heard his name for the first time. Because I thought that he said his name was Thrasher instead of Thresh.

He chuckled deeply and had to stop because it started to hurt his lungs. He looked back at me and smiled softly. "I will…miss you Axel. You were…a brother to me."

"Just as you were to me." I replied, smiling softly back at him.

He gave a tear-filled smile before letting out his last breath. His grip on my arm and hand slackened and his head dropped to the side as he faded from the world of the living. I sighed deeply and dropped my head on his chest as the cannon fired off, signaling his death.

I looked up into the sky and sighed again before looking back at Thresh's form.

Then I heard a grunt from my left as I saw Cato pull my knife out of his chest and lay it down on the ground. Blood seemed to spurt out of his chest as he removed the offending blade.

I groaned and made my way over to him, unsheathing the sword on my backside. Taking one look at his chest, I knew he wouldn't survive this, even if he had an army of surgeons working on him right now.

"Axel…please…make it quick." Cato pleaded out as blood started to come out of his mouth, staining his teeth a crimson as he choked on the incoming blood as he lay on his back. I knelt by his side and took a breath before picking his torso up off the ground. I looked at him one last time. He just closed his eyes in acceptance and I rammed my blade through his heart quickly.

The cannon fired off as I let Cato's form fall back to the ground gently. I grabbed his weapons and supplies from his body, just as I did with Thresh. He would have wanted me to have it, should something happen to him. I stood back as the hovercraft showed up and lifted Thresh and Cato's body into its carriage.

And right as the hovercraft disappeared, it seemed to weigh down on me. Thresh was dead. He died, protecting me even though I wanted him to survive through all of this.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins and my vision started to blur and sway as an unknown emotion took over my body and mind by storm.

I looked up at the sky and let loose a roar so deep and powerful that it could've shattered the television sets that were broadcasting the Games around the Districts. The yell echoed across the mountain sides around me and through the air as I let out all my emotions into a gigantic scream. I could feel my head vibrating because of the volume of the scream.

Then just as soon as it started, it stopped, and I fell to the ground. My tears were racing down my cheeks as all I could feel was sadness at losing my best friend.

* * *

I hadn't moved from my position, leaning against the Cornucopia for a couple of hours. I had my supplies gathered around me and was merely waiting for Katniss to show up. I was sharpening my sword blade with the side of the Cornucopia and munching on an apple from Cato's pack.

I had my sunglasses on as the sky was starting to darken around me. I was looking around me looking to see my district partner that killed my ally and best friend.

I looked to my right as I saw Katniss jump down from a low hanging branch, her bow over her shoulder and four arrows in her quiver. She glanced at me and quickly aimed an arrow at me once I got to my feet. She let it go, only to have to miss as I jumped to my left, missing the dangerous projectile.

Two more of her arrows suffered the same fate before she fired her last arrow at my face. This time I decided to give her a shocker and pulled something out of my bag of tricks. I let the arrow get very close to me, before snatching it out of the air when it was a foot away from my face.

I smirked at her look of awe shock at what I just did. I snapped the arrow in half and made my way to her. She dropped her bow to the ground and pulled out two knives as I did.

"Of course, it would be the two of us facing each other at the end to see who goes home in a body bag, or still living." I mused.

Katniss chuckled without humor and got into a defensive position. "And may the best miner win." She mused back as I took a step closer to her, flinching slightly.

I rolled my shoulders and faked a swipe to her right side. She bought it and went to block it only to have me swipe her across the face, leaving a line on her cheek. She snarled at me, making me smile at her lack of skill to know a fake from an actual strike.

She got angry at how easy I landed a hit on her and charged at me, swinging wildly with her knives. Her anger made her clumsy with her swings and it was quite easy for me to either dodge or deflect her swings at my body.

I decided to end this pathetic duel by jumping over a swipe at my midsection and kicked her off her feet to the ground with both feet. I landed back on my feet and turned around to face away from her as I pulled out another knife from my waistline.

As I heard her get back on her feet, I whirled around, throwing the blade right into her chest. Then I proceeded to throw the other two I had been fighting against her with. Each landing in her midsection, right below the first knife. I looked directly into a tree camera and smiled evilly at it as it zoomed in my direction as I looked back towards Katniss.

She stumbled backwards, but I caught her before she could fall to the ground and leaned her against the Cornucopia. I then took a step close to her and spoke my farewell. "This is what you get for killing Thresh dishonorably. That was a pathetic attempt on your part to survive my wrath for killing my brother. We might have been from different walks of life and districts but Thresh deserved to go back home to his family. Which is more than I can say for me or you." I snarled out as I pulled my sword off my back and twirled it around in my hands.

I took a deep breath. "It seems you were right to call me a monster. All of District 12 was correct in their accusation." I snarled out harshly as I took a stance with my sword down at my side. Only a second passed by before I ended her life. I lunged forward and sliced her head off with one smooth swing of my weapon.

The cannon sounded off instantly as Katniss' head fell off her body and her lifeless figure followed suit right after. I heard trumpets around me as Claudius announced me as the winner of this year's Hunger Games.

I heard the hovercraft above me and climbed onto the latter as it descended. The current, freezing me in place as I suddenly appeared inside the hovercraft. Claudius was in one of the seats facing me. "It's good to see you Axel." He spoke first.

I merely nodded back at him, not saying a word. Claudius seemed to pick up that I wasn't in the mood to talk and nodded back at me giving me an apologetic smile. I sent him a grateful nod and we cruised in silence back to the Capitol.

**A/N: I was considering ending this chapter short. But then I decided not to.**

**There's only two more chapters after this one. Also leave a comment if you think I should continue onto the next book's plot or not. I'm cool with doing either option.**

Portia and my stylist team were happy to see me as I walked back into my room. I knew that President Snow wanted me to look my best which is why I was first sent to my stylist team. To make me look like I didn't just go through a war zone.

"I'm glad to see you again." Portia cried out as she wrapped me up in a hug. Her team right behind her and hugged me from the sides.

But I could only focus on Portia as I relaxed in her embrace. "Good to be back somewhat."

"Axel." Haymitch's voice called out as he walked into the room.

"Haymitch." I greeted back as the hug ended and I stepped forward to shake his hand. But he didn't offer his hand, instead he looked at me angrily. I knew that he wanted Katniss to survive, but he could've been subtler about it.

Then Effie came into the room and engulfed me in a hug, pushing away the uncomfortable situation from taking place. I smiled as she laid her head in my shoulder gap. "Hello Effie." I greeted warmly as I patted her back comfortingly.

Just then President Snow walked into the room, hushing everyone's conversation. I turned to him in surprise. "President Snow…I wasn't expect-" He cut me off with a wave of his hand and gestured for me to come outside with him.

"Axel Night…you were most impressive in your journey in the Games. I have a proposition for you in the future. I will give you a couple of months to decide before I come back and ask for your choice. But you won't know of my offer until you get back home to District 12." Snow informed me, a hand resting on top of my shoulder.

"Yes, President Snow." I replied respectfully as he nodded at me before leaving me outside alone. He walked back out of the main room and back to his home without another word.

"What was that all about?" Haymitch asked, skeptical.

I had a feeling that Snow wanted our conversation between us to stay confidential, so I lied to my mentor. "He congratulated me on winning the Hunger Games. He had wanted to offer me an extra day to recover from my time in the arena and I accepted his offering." I replied.

Haymitch nodded at my explanation and didn't seem to think anything else of it. "That's very generous of our President."

**Next Morning**

I was woken up at around mid-day considering the interview wasn't until tonight at nine in the evening. Right after waking up and eating a small but quick brunch, I was ushered into the stylist's room.

It was a simple haircut, and remaking of my previous appearance from before I went into the arena. Which wasn't that hard. I just had a simple buzz cut and some foundation added to my skin to even out my natural tan. They only had to add extra makeup to make up for some of my weight that I lost in the Games.

After I was dressed in a simple green tux with a white bow tie and seemed to make my yellow pupils stand out. I was ready for my interview that was a couple hours away. I made my way to the balcony outside my room and investigated the sinking sun.

"You should've been here, Thresh. Not me. You deserved to have your name carved into history and your family should be safe from the Game's reach." I murmured to myself as I looked at the sunset in remembrance of my fallen ally.

"I was told that I'd find you here." Portia's voice made me look over my shoulder to see her stand beside me. She leaned against the railing next to me.

I turned around to face her and gave a soft smile. "You look beautiful Portia." I complemented.

She smiled at my comment and straightened up my tux. "As do you Axel." She replied.

"What happens after I go back home?" I ask, curious.

"Well, all victors go back home for eight months until it's time for them to tour the other district's homes as the 'Victor Tour'. Then you mentor next year's tributes alongside Haymitch. And the next year…the year after that and so on until you die of old age." Portia teased at the last part. I smiled at her tease and rest my back against the railing.

"That sounds relaxing." I commented as I took a step closer to Portia. She looked at me curiously and stayed still as I approached her. When I was right in front of her, I spoke. "Does Haymitch hate me because I won…or because I killed the tribute he wanted to win?" I asked her firmly as I looked into her eyes.

"Haymitch is someone that I don't know how to read very well. You would find that answer if you asked Effie. She's been his escort for the past decade concerning the games. She would have the answer you want to know." Portia advised me.

"Axel it's time to go to the interview. We must leave now if we want to be there early." Effie's voice called out from the balcony door. I smiled and offered my arm to Portia who accepted, and we walked back inside together.

"Well then we should move now." I replied to Effie as she smiled at my response to her announcement. She took my other offered arm and the three of us walked to the interview with light smiles on our face.

* * *

"The Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games winner is here! Axel Night!" Claudius yelled out as I stepped onto the stage with a warm smile directed his way. I shook his hand and sat down next to him as the audience erupted into an excited roar.

"It is good to be back here Claudius. I can see that you've followed through with the others in the audience. Nice eyes…looks fierce." I smiled teasingly as I pointed out his yellow eye contacts.

He smiled back at me. "Thanks. I wanted to give it a try and see how it feels. Axel…not a lot of people thought you would make it to the end. What do you have to say to those that doubted you?" Claudius asked, bringing in a serious setting.

"I would say to them that they weren't the only ones. I doubted that I would be the one sitting here after the Games. I thought that maybe with some luck, I'd be in the top five." I admitted as I looked at the audience's responses.

"That admirable Axel. Tell us about your alliance with the boy from district 11, Thresh." Claudius responded, sounding touched.

I sighed and looked down for a second before raising my head to reply to the question. "He was someone that from the second I sat down to talk to him, I knew I could rely on him. Call it a gut feeling, but I knew that we could be allies right after meeting him." I replied, tearing up a little.

Claudius nodded at my answer and offered me a tissue. I accepted it and cleared my face of the salty moisture before turning back to him. "I'm sorry for ruining the mood Claudius." I apologized.

"There's no need Axel. We all saw what happened and know loss of someone considered as family." He replied, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I cleared my throat and straightened up. "Can I ask you a question Claudius?" I asked curiously.

"Of course, Axel. Ask me anything you want to." He encouraged me.

"Are victors allowed to get pets?" I asked seriously but with a teasing grin.

Claudius chuckled at my question as did the audience at my move to ease the tension around us. He clapped me on the back and calmed himself, so he could answer. "Why the sudden interest in a pet?" He asked, still grinning.

"Well since I'll be mentoring future tributes from now on. I'll need something else to keep me occupied back at home when the Games aren't going on." I replied with a shrug.

"As far as I'm aware, you can have pets Axel." Claudius replied.

I made a motion with my arm and shouted "Yes!" That cracked up the crowd and Claudius.

"You are a natural at this Axel. Maybe you should consider taking my place." Claudius asked, leaning into me.

"I couldn't do that Claudius." I responded with a soft smile.

"And why not?"

"Because everyone would miss you too much and I would miss seeing you as well. It wouldn't be the same without you on stage doing what you do best." I replied with a warm smile.

Claudius rested a hand on his heart and pulled me into a hug, one that got the audience on their feet. "That was the nicest thing I have ever heard during my time on this stage." Claudius replied to me as we embraced tightly.

"I have to ask now, but what type of animal would you get?" Claudius asked curiously.

"I think I might get a dog. I'm not sure yet, but I know that it's not going to be a cat." I confessed with a wide smile.

Claudius laughed heartily at my confession and almost fell of his chair, but I caught him before he could hit the ground. He thanked me profusely for 'saving his life' and that brought me into a laughing fit as well.

When we sat down again, Claudius motioned for someone to come out here. I looked over to see Portia sit next to me and placing a comforting hand on my back. Claudius turned back to me. "We're about to watch your time in the arena and I figured that you could use someone to help through the tough times." He explained.

I nodded gratefully to him and let Portia take my hand in hers.

A screen showed everything both from my point of view and from behind me as they rolled my tape that would be showed for the next week or so on repeat once each day.

I kept my emotions together through Rue and Thresh's death scene. But looking at the hovercraft take Thresh's body away, the dam burst, and I could hold back anymore. I wiped away the tears as the film ended. "Are you alright Axel?" Claudius asked politely.

I nodded my head. "In time I will be. I know that it hurts less as time passes, but that hurt to watch again." I admitted as sighed deeply.

"Well that's all the time we have for you today Axel. I wish you the best of luck until we meet next time." Claudius said as he stood up from his seat. We hugged again, and I waved to the audience once more before walking off the stage.

* * *

**A/N: I know I'm so late in updating all of my stories. I hadn't touched my computer in almost a month since classes ended. Work has become my life now at working 40+ hours a week.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Axel POV**

"What's your problem with me Haymitch?" I asked challengingly as I walked into the main room where it was just him and I. "Is it because I won the games? Or is it maybe because I killed the person you wanted to live? I always knew that you favored Katniss over me." I pointed out as I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at him expectantly.

He looked over at me and got up from the now empty table and walked over to me. "You are exactly what Katniss described as when I was prepping her for her interview before the Games."

"Did it really take you that long to figure it out? Most figure it out when I look at them with my exotic eye color." I pointed out as I looked at him tiredly.

"I thought you would have a sense of respect for her but apparently I was wrong." Haymitch sneered at me.

"That's rich." I commented, making him look at me confused.

"What?" He asked.

"I respected her all the way up until she shot Thresh in the side as he was helping her take down Cato. I knew what she was doing, and it wasn't honorable. When you face someone in combat, you do so head on…not by striking from the side or from behind." I lectured Haymitch getting into his face.

But I continued my rant, not letting him interject. "And she wasn't the only one who volunteered to come here. I risked my life for a boy that treated me like he never wanted to see again." I ranted. "I know what I am Haymitch…I'm reminded it every time I look in the mirror." I said, a little softer this time.

"You should have died in the arena. At least then, I wouldn't have been stuck with a monster for the rest of my life." Haymitch snarled.

Unfortunately for him, Effie and Portia walked in right as he said that. They both gasped sharply at his statement, drawing our attention. "How dare you say that?!" Effie exclaimed, running over and pushing us away from each other as Portia rushed over to my side.

"He slaughtered his district partner in front of the entire nation without a look of regret on his face." Haymitch shouted at Effie, gesturing to me.

I stepped away from Portia. "I need some space; not sure you want to be around a monster." I said stepping towards the balcony door, leaving Haymitch at the mercy of those two.

"I can't wait to be home." I gasped out as leaned on the railing, looking at the horizon. I couldn't wait to have my foster family move in with me to our new house in the Victor's Village. As a victor I would receive a brand-new house that had never been lived in. Twelve homes were built in each district for the victor's family to move in with them as well.

**On the Train**

I still hadn't spoken to Haymitch since our spat a couple days ago. I steered clear of him since that day and he has made it clear through Effie that he never wants to be near me again.

I can live with that. I know that Gale is going to be pissed at me for killing the girl he likely would've married, had she survived the Games. He can get in line behind Haymitch on the 'wanting to kill me' list. I know that I would help Katniss' family when possible. I knew I had a responsibility to help them out because of who they lost in the arena. They lost their main food provider.

I looked over to see Portia join me on my bed as I let my thoughts disappear. "I would've thought that you would be celebrating your birthday with Effie and myself. We got you a cake and you have a present from President Snow as well." Portia said as she rested her head on my shoulder.

I smiled and laid my head on top of hers before turning to face her. "You said birthday cake?" I asked her goofily. She smiled back at me and got up onto her feet, pulling me with her as she led me to the dining car.

Sure enough, there was a small cake that had fifteen candles on it. It said 'Happy 15th Birthday Axel!' I smiled at it before facing Effie who looked up at me as I walked in. "Thank you, Effie." I thanked her as I enveloped her into a hug.

"You're welcome Axel. It's the least I could do for my victorious tribute." She replied as we separated from the embrace. I smiled back at her sat down in front of my cake, blowing out the candles.

We all sliced a piece of cake and ate together in comfortable silence. Then I remembered what President Snow had told me and looked at Effie. "Where's the gift that President Snow got for me?" I asked, curiously.

"Oh, let me get it for you." She said as she got up from her seat and rushed off to go get it for me. She returned moments later with an envelope. "He instructed me to tell you to open it by yourself and not show anyone what was inside." Effie huffed, annoyed that she couldn't find out what was inside my gift.

I stood up from my seat. "I'm going to go see what it reads. I'll be back in a couple of minutes and we can talk about anything you want Effie." I promised as I left the room after kissing both of their cheeks in a brotherly way.

When I got back to my room, I shut the door and locked it before going into the bathroom. Just in case there were any listening ears around. I ripped open the envelope and read over the letter.

"Makes sense why he wanted me to read it by myself and keep the contents a secret." I muttered as I read over it again, making sure that's what it said. I placed it into my pocket and unlocked my door before going back into the dining car and joining in the conversation that the women were having.

**Next Day**

We got into district twelve at around mid-day. There wasn't a big turnout for my arrival, but I didn't expect for there to be many people there. Katniss was well known in town and I knew that many people were going to be angry with me for killing a hometown celebrity.

I could see my foster family at the front of the line waiting to see me and I smiled widely from my room's window. I could also see Peeta and his father standing beside my foster mother. Then the train pulled to a stop and I placed President Snow's letter in my front jean pocket and made my way to the door, eager to see my family again.

I poked my head out of the door playfully as I winked at my foster siblings. They shouted in excitement and rushed up to me as I walked through the doorway. I crouched down and lifted the two boys into my arms first, hugging them both tightly. I set the both of them down and picked up my foster sister, twirling her around as I rested her behind my head.

I looked over to my foster mom and smiled widely as I walked over to her. "Oh Axel." She gasped out as she pulled me into a crushing hug. I rubbed her back soothingly as I let her get it all out, not caring that my shirt was getting wet with tears fast.

"I'm sorry for ruining your shirt." She murmured into my chest, causing me to chuckle. I pulled back and smiled at her warmly. "I'm just glad to be back at home, mom." I said as I let my sister down from her perch on my neck.

I then faced Peeta and his father. I shook hands with them both. "Thank you for looking after my family while I was away." I said, giving them a grateful.

"It's the least we could do considering you volunteered to take my place in the Games." Peeta said warmly. As I shook his hand, he pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear. "I'm sorry for treating you like an outsider when you needed a friend."

I smiled back at him and whispered back. "That's alright Peeta. As far as I'm concerned, we're friends and that's all that matters." I reply softly as I nod back at him accepting his apology. He looked grateful at my response and left the platform to go back to work along with his father.

I looked back at my family, holding up a key to one of the victor village houses. "Time to move guys." I said, watching their responses with a broad grin. They all jumped up and down excitedly as they recognized what the key meant.

I chuckled at their excitement and followed them back to our home, so we could get all of our stuff moved into our home. Being victor meant that once every month, I was given a lot of money and a big package of food for my family. I would continue to get both each month for as long as I lived.

Plus, my foster siblings would never have to worry about their names being drawn if I had survived the Hunger Games. They would never have to live in fear of being selected into the arena that I survived. They would never have to possibly go through what I went through.

* * *

I knew that I had to visit Katniss' family today before it got dark and I was dreading it. My siblings offered to go with me, but I refused saying that it was something I had to do by myself. After letting my foster- mother know where I was going, I trudged on over to the Seam, where Katniss' family lived.

As I walked up the steps, Gale was standing by the door, an arrow nocked in my face. I sighed and looked at him sadly. "You know that if you were to kill me, your family would be killed within the next morning. I'm just here to talk. I have a promise to uphold for Katniss's family."

He sighed and lowered the bow, allowing me into the house. I knew that I was practically intruding on a grieving family, but I couldn't turn back now. Prim was the first to notice me first and called out in fear that I would attack her as well. The others, I recognized as Gale's family, looked up at me in fright.

I stopped in my tracks and held up my hands showing that I was here just to talk. I looked at Katniss' mother. "Can I have a word with you please? It concerns what I promised Katniss should I win the games, no matter what happens." I spoke, catching their attention.

"What is it that you promised?" Prim asked hopefully. I lowered my hands to my side.

"Even before the Games started, Katniss and I swore to each other that if one of us were to win the Games. The fallen member's family would receive a portion of our winnings every month for as long as the other lived. And I intend to uphold the promise I made to her." I replied as the information I just told them, sunk in.

"That's very kind of you to offer." Prim replied softly.

I nodded silently. "It's the least I could do. I know I can never make it up to you all for killing Katniss, but this is something that I can guarantee." I concluded as I turned from both families and walked out of the door back to my new home.

As I walked up the front steps of my new house I looked up into the nighttime sky. I sighed as I looked at a face in the stars that seemed to be smiling back at me. "This was all because of you Thresh…I can never make it up to you. Thank you brother." I breathed out.

**The End**

**A/N: Sorry I made you all wait but I got distracted with work and the upcoming school year. But that's the end of the story. Leave a review if I should continue to the next book or not. I'm good with either choice.**

**Thank you for reading.**


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